BSC 10 Years Later
by Rachel D
Summary: NEW AND IMPROVED! A Super Special about a series of events that take place 10 years after the series' end. No flames please! COMPLETED!
1. Prologue: Kristy

_**BSC 10 YEARS LATER**_

A/N: This is basically a Super Special that takes place ten years after the series' end.

**PROLOGUE: Kristy**

I lay on the examining table and Jason held my hand while the doctor measured my stomach with his hands. Even though it was almost mid-June, I was freezing, mostly because of the air conditioner. I'm just glad I spent the entire time looking at the amethyst ring on Jason's right ring finger, which I'd given him on our wedding night. Otherwise, I never would've gotten through this.

After a minute, the doctor looked up. "Well, congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Everett," he said. "You're having a baby."

Jason and I smiled at each other, and he squeezed my hand. "How far along is she?" Jason asked the doctor.

Dr. Wright measured my stomach again and said, "Well, judging by the size of her uterus, I'd say about eight weeks, which is roughly about two months."

Jason shook hands with the doctor, then helped me sit up. "I'll meet you out in the waiting room, Kristy," he said, then left me alone to get dressed.

Before I go any farther, I should probably tell you more about me and Jason, and how we met. My name's Kristy Thomas-Everett. I'm twenty-three years old, and Jason's twenty-five. I met Jason when we were in eighth grade, which is when he and his family had moved into this brand-new apartment complex at the end of the block where my mother and stepfather live.

We'd started dating just before our senior year of high school, and went to the prom, where we were crowned the king and queen. After graduation, we attended Ohio University in Athens, both majoring in elementary education. I teach PE, and Jason teaches music.

We'd moved to Hartford Connecticut, soon after our college graduation, and got engaged and married within a year after that. Hartford is not only the capital of our state, but it's also an hour and a half away from Stoneybrook, where I was born and raised. Jason, on the other hand, was born in Scotland, in a little town just an hour and a half outside of Glasgow. He came to America with his mom when he was four, and they settled in Manhattan. According to Jason, his dad died about a month before he was born, and about a year and a half after they arrived in America, his mom married Steve, and Jason not only acquired a stepfather, but also a stepsister, Bebe. He was also adopted by his stepfather, and the Everetts moved to Long Island soon after that.

Jason also has a scar on his right cheekbone, which he says he got in a fight when he was ten. He told me that the other kid hit him in the face with a board that had a little nail sticking out of it.

Soon after Jason started eighth grade, the Everetts moved to Stoneybrook, because Steve was hired to be the superintendent of the apartment complex. Jason almost got into a fight on his first day at SMS, which was when I learned about his bad temper. (I shudder to think how he'd react if he saw some strange guy trying to touch my stomach when I get that far along in my pregnancy, and Jason once told me that his real father had a bad temper, too.) The one thing that's always fascinated me about Jason is the fact that even though he came to America at such a young age, his accent never went away completely. Nowadays, he sounds like the present-day Ewan McGregor. My best friend Mary Anne is a movie freak, and Ewan McGregor happens to be one of her favorite actors.

Jason and I recently celebrated our first anniversary. He took me to Scotland for our honeymoon, and one of the places he'd taken me was the Firth of Clyde, where his granny's ashes are scattered.

Anyway, back to me. I changed my clothes, and met Jason in the waiting room. We got in our red pick-up truck, which Jason had gotten for an early eighteenth birthday present, and he started the igniton. During the ride home, we talked about our news, which I couldn't wait to share with our friends in the Baby-sitters Club.

What is the Baby-sitters Club, you ask? Well, it's a business that my friends and I had all through middle school and high school. By the time I reached my senior year of high school, I decided that was one service the town couldn't do without, so I turned the presidential duties over to my stepsister Karen before I went away to college.

They meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30 to 6:00, just like the old days, and parents can call them to line up baby-sitters. It saves the parents time, because that way, they don't have to call all over town just to find a baby-sitter. I actually got the idea when I was in seventh grade, and I saw Mom having that problem, finding a baby-sitter for my little brother, David Michael, who was only six at the time. Well, one thing led to another, and like the saying goes, the rest is history.

When I was the president, Claudia Kishi was the vice-president, and we held our meetings in her room, because she had her own phone and phone number, not to mention a buffet of junk food, which Stacey McGill and Dawn Schafer couldn't eat: Stacey, because she's a diabetic, and Dawn, because she's a health nut. So Claudia always made sure to have proper snacks for them. Nancy Dawes is now the vice-president, and her little brother Danny, as well as Laura Perkins, Lucy Newton, and Lynn Benedict, Claudia's cousin, are all part of a children's show choir called the Stoneybrook Kids, which was started seven years ago by Jason and Mr. Drubek, who's getting ready to retire from SMS. My little brother, as well as my stepsiblings, Karen and Andrew Brewer, were all original members of the group, along with several of our other former baby-sitting charges Mr. Drubek still runs it, but now, he's helped by Nina Marshall, a Stoneybrook Kids alumnus, who happens to be Andrew's girlfriend.

Here are more essentials about Claudia. She lives on the north side of Chicago, where she teaches art at one of the local high schools. In her spare time, she does art work and submits it to local galleries. In fact, she's preparing for a show this fall. Anyway, I was impressed that Claudia could actually get into college, because she wasn't the best student in the world when we were in school. Recently, Claud was diagnosed with ADD, not to be confused with ADHD. She had to repeat some of seventh grade, but she was able to catch up, go to high school, and graduate with the rest of us.

Mary Anne Spier-Bruno, my best friend since we were toddlers, was the BSC secretary. She married Logan Bruno, one of our former associate members. Jason's another one; we made him one soon after SMS finished their production of _Carnival. _They live in an upstate New York town called Auburn, where Mary Anne is a middle school guidance counselor, and Logan is the PE teacher and football coach at one of the local high schools. Mary Anne was recently diagnosed with social phobia/social anxiety disorder, and sought treatment about three months ago.

Stacey McGill-Thomas, who's now married to my brother, Sam, was the BSC treasurer. Like I said, she has diabetes, and even though she could get pregnant if she wanted to, chose not to, because of health risks, so she and Sam are in the process of adopting a baby. Stacey lives on the west side of Manhattan, where she was born and raised, and is a nurse's aide at New York Children's Hospital, and my brother is a sportswriter, like our father had been. Now Claire Pike, the youngest in the Pike family, is the treasurer.

Back then, Dawn Schafer and Abby Stevenson had been our alternate officers, which meant that one of them took over if someone had to miss a meeting. Dawn also happens to be Mary Anne's stepsister (her mom is married to Mary Anne's dad), and is originally from California, but went there to stay the summer after we finished our sophomore year of high school. She now lives in Zuni, New Mexico, and works two jobs. During the school year, she works in the elementary school cafeteria, and the rest of the time, she helps her childhood friend Sunny Winslow run a health-food store. Also, she and Sunny were members of the We Love Kids Club, a California counterpart of the BSC, even though they're not quite as organized.

Oh, that reminds me. Stoneybrook Elementary and Zuni Elementary are involved in a pen-pal program called Pens Across America, which is for students in second through fifth grades. When the school in Zuni burned down, Dawn organized a fundraiser. In fact, Dawn loved the people there so much, she decided to settle there.

Abby lives in Stoneybrook, and also works two jobs. During the day, she's an advertising executive for the same company in Stamford that Mom works for, and in the evenings, she does a stand-up comedy act at a nightclub in Stamford, so she only has time to grab a bite to eat between jobs, and gets home pretty late. (I've seen her act, and she's hilarious!) At first, I was a little worried about her doing the second job, because of her asthma and allergies, but I'm happy to say that this particular nightclub is a smoke-free facility. (Abby kind of reminds me of Joey Gladstone from _Full House, _only she doesn't do the funny voices, and she's nowhere near as dim-witted as he is.) Abby, Mary Anne, and I also have something important in common: we each have lost one of our parents. Mary Anne was just a baby when her mother died, and she was thirteen when her dad remarried. Abby has a twin sister named Anna, and they were only nine when their father was killed in a car accident. I was only six when my father walked out on us, and sixteen when he was killed in a plane crash. Nowadays, Natalie Springer is the alternate officer.

Like me, the above-mentioned members are all twenty-three. We also had two junior members who weren't allowed to baby-sit at night, unless it was for their own siblings. Mallory Pike-Hobart and Jessi Ramsey are both twenty-one. Mal married Ben Hobart, whose brothers we used to baby-sit for. Ben is originally from Australia, and came to America when he was eleven. However, unlike Jason, his accent never really went away, mostly because he was older when he came to America. The Hobarts live, and have recently graduated from college, in Cleveland, where she's planning to be a high school English Lit. teacher, and he's planning to be an accountant.

Jessi lives on the east side of Manhattan with her boyfriend, Manette Hughes. They met during our trip to Washington, DC, with the Stoneybrook Kids, and while we were there, they exchanged e-mail addresses, then ended up together at Julliard about four years ago. They're also professional dancers, and are currently rehearsing for an '80s revue which opens off-Broadway next month. Now, Gabbie Perkins, as well as my sister, Emily, are the junior officers.

Logan and Jason, along with Shannon Kilbourne, who lived across the street from me, were our associate members, which means they took the jobs we couldn't. Now, Mathew and John Hobart and Myriah Perkins are the associate members.

Okay, back to us.

Jason and I pulled into the parking lot of our house and got out of the truck. Our house is really cute. It's actually an upstairs apartment. All you do is open the door and go upstairs to the apartment. Best of all, it's not six flights, there's no hole in the skylight—if we had one, that is—and the landlord, who lives downstairs, is relatively sane, even if he isn't the nicest guy in the world.

Anyway, as soon as we came inside, I sat down on the couch and cried, which is something that I rarely do. Honestly, I don't think I've cried this much since Nannie's funeral last fall.

Jason was beside me in an instant. "Shh, Kristy, it's okay," he said, putting his arm across my shoulders. I laid my head on his chest, continuing to cry, and listening to his heartbeat. I knew that's what the next couple of months or so would be like for me, in addition to morning sickness, and eventually, wild food cravings. Mom once told me that when she was expecting David Michael, she practically lived off peanut butter and banana sandwiches, seedless watermelon, and German chocolate, the really dark kind. And isn't it ironic that chocolate's something David Michael's allergic to? By the way, he's a spring baby, so Dad didn't have to worry about Mom sending him to Mexico for the watermelon.

And best of all, Jason doesn't play or sing "I Get Around" while I'm hurling!


	2. Chapter 1: Kristy

**CHAPTER 1: Kristy**

After I'd calmed down and Jason went to start dinner, I reached for the phone, which was on the end table beside the couch, and dialed Mom and Watson's number. "Hi, Watson, it's Kristy," I said when he answered the phone. "Is Mom home?"

"Yes, she is," he answered. "Just a minute."

"Hi, Kristy," Mom said a minute later. "How are you?"

"Well, I went to the doctor today, and found out that I'm two months pregnant."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, but I'm not exactly looking forward to the rest of the pregnancy," I told her, and believe me, I sure as hell wasn't.

Mom laughed gently. "That's all right," she said. "When it's all over, you'll end up with a special prize."

I couldn't help smiling, although I personally think that's the corniest joke in the world. "Thanks, Mom," I said. "And just between the two of us, no matter how much pain I'm in during either labor or delivery, I'll try not to cause Jason too much physical pain or harm, but if he does start singing 'Having My Baby', I'll make him start wishing he did have his two front teeth!" I was, of coruse, referring to the episode of _Full House_ where the twins were born_._

Both of us laughed. "You'll do just fine, sweetheart," she reassured me.

At that moment, Jason called out, "Kristy, dinner's ready!"

"Well, I've got to go," I told Mom. "Hey, say hi to the kids for me, okay?"

"Okay. 'Bye."

"'Bye, Mom." And we hung up.

Jason and I sat down to eat. He'd fixed hamburgers and mixed vegetables, and poured each of us a glass of iced tea. One of the reasons I fell in love with him is because he's a really good cook, whereas I'm one of those people who worries that if I pour milk on cereal, it'd burst into flames. It still amazes me that with all my baby-sitting experience, the one thing I have trouble with is cooking. I mean, I can make Jell-O, French toast, and anything that requires a microwave or toaster, but that's about it.

"You know," Jason said, taking a bite of his burger, "we got an invitation in the mail today for the Stoneybrook High School graduation."

I wasn't surprised, because this year, David Michael and Karen were both going to graduate. "When is it?" I asked.

"Next Sunday," he said. "I thought maybe we could leave as soon as we got off work next Friday, then stay for the graduation, and go back on Monday, unless something happens."

I nodded. I started to get up from the table to put my dishes in the dishwasher, but I started to feel dizzy, and had to sit back down.

"Here, allow me," Jason said. He picked up my dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

I felt bad for Jason having to do all the work, so I got up again. And that's when I immediately fell to the floor and passed out.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on the bed. Jason was wiping my face with a wet washcloth. "Wh...what happeend?" I slurred.

"You passed out," he explained as he put the thermometer in my mouth. "Don't worry, I brought you in here." A few seconds later, I heard a beep, and Jason removed the thermometer. "99.8."

I looked down. Jason had apparently undressed me down to my underwear, and was wiping my face, hands, and stomach with the washcloth.

"Feeling better?" he asked. I nodded. I aslo wondered why I'd gotten dizzy and passed out.

Later that night, I lay in bed with Jason's arm across me. He'd pulled me closer to him, but I still couldn't sleep. In the darkness, while I played with his real father's ID tags, I studied his features: short black hair, moustache and goatee, little scar on right cheekbone, Union Jack tattoo on right bicep, and when he's awake, green eyes. When his pajama top is off, I can see his appendix scar. I, on the other hand, hide mine at night—not that I'm ashamed of it, of course. All through the night, I thought about the Baby-sitters Club, and remembered that we hadn't had a reunion since we'd passed the torch to Karen and her friends.

The next morning, Jason went to do some errands, and I got out my address book. The first person I called was Claudia. Claud may have been a dud when it came to schoolwork, but her older sister Janine is a true genius. In fact, Janine was even taking college courses while she was still in high school. She's now finished her internship at Stoneybrook General Hospital, where she's an ER doctor. When we were growing up, it always seemed that teachers were always comparing the two, and were disappointed when Claudia turned out to be the opposite of Janine.

"Hello?" Claud said when she answered the phone.

"Hi, it's Kristy," I said.

"Kristy! Hi! How are you and Jason doing?" Claud had dated Jason for about three years before they broke up, and soon after that, Jason and I got together.

"Well, I'm fine, considering," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I went to the doctor yesterday, and found out that I'm two months pregnant."

"Congratulations," Claud said.

"Thanks. Anyway, the reason I'm calling is because last night, I was thinking that the original members of the Baby-sitters Club haven't had a reunion in a long time."

"Sounds great. When?"

"Well, Karen and David Michael's high school graduation is coming up next weekend, so why not then?"

"Sure."

"I'll call Mary Anne and Logan, Dawn, Mal, and Shannon, and you call Stacey, Abby, and Jessi," I said.

"Okay. Thanks for calling. 'Bye."

One down, four to go. The next call was to Mary Anne and Logan. They weren't home, so I left a message on their answering machine. I gave them my name and phone number, and asked them to call me.

Next, I called Dawn. I told her about the BSC reunion, and when it was. "Great! I'll be there! Can I bring a friend?"

"Sure," I said. "Oh, and can you call Mary Anne and Logan and remind them?"

"Sure," she said. "'Bye."

Three down, two to go. The next call was to Mallory. (Of all of us, she's been married the longest, almost two years; Mary Anne and Logan have been married for a year and a half; and Sam and Stacey have been married for nine months.) Mallory also happens to be about eight months pregnant, and the best part is, she's having twins. We were so surprised when we found out.

"Hi, Mal," I said when she answered the phone.

"Kristy! Hi! What's up with you?"

"Well, I went to the doctor yesterday, and found out that I'm two months pregnant."

"Hey, great!" she said. "I know exactly what you're going through. I'm entering my eighth month."

"So, I take it, this means you won't be able to attend the BSC reunion?"

"No, I'm afraid not," she answered glumly. "Sorry."

"That's all right," I said. "We're having it at Mom and Watson's, so we can set up their WebCam. That reminds me. I should call them tonight to clear it." I'd given them the WebCam for their tenth anniversary.

"Great. Well, tell everybody Ben and I said hi, and sorry we couldn't make it."

"Okay. 'Bye, Mal."

"'Bye."

The last person I called was Shannon Kilbourne. She now teaches French at Stoneybrook High School, and is engaged to Bart Taylor, my ex-boyfriend from eighth grade. In fact, Bart and I had coached opposing softball teams until our sophomore year of high school. Anyway, Shannon wasn't home, either, so I left a message on her answering machine, and asked her to call me.

When I hung up, I felt really excited, and hoped that the next weekend would hurry up and come, because I couldn't wait to see my friends again.

When Jason returned, he handed me a book, _What To Expect When You're Expecting. _I looked through it, and found that the dizzy and fainting spells I'd had the day before were normal for pregnancy.

I was also looking forward to seeing my friends again.

The following Friday morning, we loaded our suitcases into the truck. Our plan was to leave for Stoneybrook as soon as we got off work that day.

When we arrived in Stoneybrook, and pulled into Mom and Watson's driveway, we saw Bebe Everett's little red Miata, like the one Carol, Dawn's stepmther, drives. The one thing that's impossible to miss about her car is the Rush bumper sticker on the back bumper. She says it's a travesty that they haven't been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yet.

We rang the doorbell, which was answered by Karen. She looked great. Her blond hair was cut and styled like Stacey's had been during our BSC days. "Hi, Karen," I said.

"Hi," she answered as she wrapped both of us in a hug and rested her head on Jason's shoulder, just like she'd done since she was seven. You see, soon after Jason first moved to Stoneybrook, Andrew got his first bike with training wheels. One day, I took him, Karen, and David Michael on a bike ride. Andrew was so excited to have his own bike that he started pedaling faster than the rest of us. Before Karen could catch up to him, Andrew saw a little squirrel and tried to miss it, but in the process, he hit his head on a little brick wall that happened to be nearby. (He ended up having whiplash as a result of that, and was in a neck brace for two months.) I sent David Michael to get Watson, and Karen got Jason to stop and help. After Jason called the ambulance, he saw Karen crying on the crub. Since then, Karen has basically idolized him. "Come on in."

We walked into the living room, where we saw everyone else, including Jason's family. Bebe was home from college, where, like Jessi, she's studying to be a professional dancer. She sure looked different from when we first met. Not only were her braces long gone, but her formerly strawberry blond hair was now dark brown, and it was also cut and styled like Mary Anne's.

The others looked pretty different, too. David Michael's dark brown hair now had platinum-blond highlights in it, and he had a little diamond earring in his left ear. I'll never forget last Thanksgiving when I first saw he'd gotten it, and I could only imagine how hard he had to twist Mom's arm to let him go through with it.

Emily was now almost as tall as me, and her hair was not only waist-length, but had rainbow streaks in it. She also had braces and pierced ears. The one thing about her that's never changed is that she was barefoot. She never wears shoes around the house, even in the coldest weather.

Andrew was not only taller than all of them, but he was almost as muscular as Jason, and his hair, which was still blond, was down to his shoulders and styled like Andy Gibb. He definitely wasn't the painfully shy boy I'd met when he was three. Still, it was great to see them.

"Hi, how are you?" Diann asked as we finished hugging everybody and sat down on the couch.

"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Jason asked.

"You tell them," I said.

"Well," Jason began, clearing his throat. "I went to the doctor with Kristy last week, and he says that she's going to have a baby."

"Hey, great!" Steve said. "How soon?"

"Well, the doctor says that I'm two months pregnant, so it'll be at least the middle of January before the baby's born, but the doctor says the earliest I could have it is Christmas," I answered.

"Right now, Kristy's at a very vulnerable sage," Jason said. "She's very emotional, and sometimes throws up in the morning after breakfast."

The boys made faces when Jason said that. I couldn't blame them. I was also hoping I'd be able to keep food down while we were there.

"Aaanywaaay..." we all said together. I know it sounds dorky, not to mention immature, but it still cracked us up.

"I thought that since we were here, I'd have a reunion with my old friends in the Baby-sitters Club," I said.

"That's nice," Watson said. "When?"

"This weekend," I told him. "I hope you don't mind me having the reunion here."

"Not at all," Mom answered.

At that moment, Jason's family stood up. "Do you know where you're staying?" Bebe asked.

"We were planning to stay here, if that's all right with you," Jason said to Mom and Watson.

"It's great!" Andrew exclaimed.

"Where will they sleep?" Emily asked.

"Well, they can sleep in Kristy's old room," Watson said.

"Great idea! Let's clean it up!" Karen said, and the four youngsters ran off as Jason's family walked out the door. I could tell that my take-charge personality still lived on.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again. I went to answer it. There stood my oldest brother Charlie, his wife, Kathy, and their two kids, five-year-old Marissa and two-year-old Charlie Jr. They can be quite a handful, but they're still awfully sweet. "Come on in."

"Thanks, Sis," Charlie said. They came in and sat down. At that moment, the phone rang. Mom went to answer it.

"Hello?" I heard her say. "Oh, hi, Sam...You're coming tomorrow?...Okay. Don't forget to remind Stacey about the BSC reunion. Do you want to put her on, and I'll put Kristy on?...Okay." Then she said, "Kristy, could you get on the other line, please?"

"Sure," I said. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kristy. It's Stacey." I heard Mom hang up the other extension just then. "When is the reunion?"

"Tomorrow night," I told her. "The only thing is, we'll need to set up Watson's WebCam so that Mallory can see us."

"That's fine," she said.

"Well, see you tomororw."'

"'Bye, Kristy."

"'Bye."

As I hung up the phone, I was really looking forward to seeing my friends the next night.


	3. Chapter 2: Dawn

**CHAPTER 2: Dawn**

The next day after Kristy's phone call, we closed up the shop at 5:00. Our plan was to drive to Albuquerque, get a bite to eat, and a hotel room for the night. We'd check out in the morning, grab some breakfast on the way to the airport, change planes in Denver, and fly to New York. Mom and Richard would meet us there and take us back to their house, then we'd return home a week later, or so the plan was.

"All set?" I asked.

She nodded, and locked the door. "Let's hit the road."

We didn't have to stop at the apartment, because we'd already loaded our suitcases into the trunk of my silver convertible, which had been a graduation present from Dad and Carol. We rode with the top down, all the way to Albuquerque, singing along with Pat Benatar's "Invincible", which was playing on the radio.

"Oh, before I forget," Sunny said after the song ended, "last night, I made dandelion necklaces for all your friends."

"Really?" I asked. "Wow, you didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I just felt like it."

"Thanks."

We arrived in Albuquerque about a couple of hours later, and pulled into Burger King. As we got out of the car, I couldn't help remembering the cast party we'd had after _Carnival _opened. In fact, if you looked up "Kodak moment" in the dictionary, you definitely would've seen what happened that night.

"Oh, did I ever tell you about the cast party we'd had after _Carnival _opened?" I asked Sunny.

She shook her head.

"Oh, you should've been there," I said. "You see, all the little kids were running toward the condiments counter with their eyes on the sugar, sweeteners, and basically anything to keep them awake all night. When Kristy's stepfather, Watson, saw them, he said-" I cupped my hands around my mouth, just like he'd done. "STEP AWAY FROM THE SUGAR."

Sunny burst out laughing. "I would've, if I were him," she said. "It seems like he knew what they were up to."

After we got our food and sat down, I saw Sunny smiling, and I knew that she was not only thinking of the story I'd just told her, but she was also wishing that she could've been there.

Later that evening, we arrived at Motel 6, and checked in. The only problem was, it was right beside the highway, and also right next to a construction site. I just felt bad for all those people who would be waking up to all that noise. _The hills are alive with the sounds of jackhammers, cement mixers, and dirty jokes, _I thought.

When we got to our room, the first thing we did was turn on the TV, and saw that the featured movie was _Anger Management. _The movie was already up to the part where Jack Nicholson throws the eggs at Adam Sandler. The last time we'd seen it was at the movie theater, and we still laughed ourselves silly.

After the movie was over, we got up, and Sunny asked, "Did you want to shower separately or together?"

I guess I should probably explain something here. You see, after I returned to California for good, the summer after I finished my sophomore year of high school, I noticed that my relationship with Sunny was changing. We were still good friends, but I saw a new side of her, one I'd never seen before. She was more touchy-feely than usual, so I didn't think anything of it, especially since her mom had just died. I just assumed that she needed someone to be there for her. That was until the next year, though, when we went swimming in the lake behind the Caters' house. Their daughter Whitney, who's a year younger than me, has Down's syndrome, and I was hired to be a baby-sitter/companion to her for a short time. I still keep in touch with her, and the last I'd heard, she was training for the Special Olympics. She's a great swimmer.

Anyway, that was the first time Sunny kissed me. And on the lips, too. I won't lie to you, I was shocked. That was when I finally realized that something was up, and Sunny confessed that she was a lesbian. Eventually, I started discovering that I had the same feelings for her that she had for me. The only difference was, unlike her, I was bi. Well, after a while, our families got used to the whole situation, and thank God they still love us the same way they always did.

Well, we took a good look at the stall, and it looked big enough for both of us. "Together," we decided, then took off our clothes and got in the shower.

We were washing each other's hair, kissing, and soaping each other up, and all was going well, until I started rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. I guess I wasn't watching what I was doing, because I accidentally flipped my hair in Sunny's face. No, she didn't get any suds in her eyes or mouth, but just the same, she got a big mouthful of water from the shower head and spit it right back at me. Before too long, we were splashing each other, laughing, and squealing like we were six years old again. I'm pretty sure that whoever was in the next room was pounding on the wall and telling us to shut up. If they were, there was no way we could've heard them.

After our shower, we finished drying ourselves off, and I went to the phone to ask the front desk for a wake-up call. "Five a.m.," I told him. I wasn't about to wake up to a chorus of jackhammers, cement mixers, and who knows what else.

"Sure," the desk clerk answered, and we hung up.

Sunny came out of the bathroom, and just as I'd expected, she hadn't brought anything to sleep in, but I knew she'd brought her white robe with her—which looks like Christine's dressing gown from _Phantom of the Opera_. In case you're wondering what I'm gettign at, Sunny likes to run around the apartment naked. The only times she'll ever wear clothes are when we have company, or when she's on her period. It drove me crazy at first, but I got used to it when I saw how comfortable she was about it.

I took off my towel and got into bed. "Goodnight, Dawn," Sunny whispered, kissing my forehead and climbing into bed beside me.

"'Night, Sunshine," I said, not only using her birth name, but it's also the nickname Dad had given me when I was really little. I turned off the light and settled myself on Sunny's shoulder. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered what my old BSC friends were up to.

_ "Go-o-od morning, Albuquerque! It's 5 a.m. on a Monday morning, and it's going to be a beautiful one, so get out of bed and face another day!"_

That's the first thing I heard when I woke up. I opened my eyes, and saw that it _was _a pretty good day, even though the sun was barely up. If you ask me, that deejay had _way _too much coffee! And speaking of which, I decided I could also use some.

I got out of bed, and through my bleary eyes, I saw Sunny coming out of the bathroom. "'Morning," she said cheerfully.

"Hey," I said, grabbing my outfit for the day. "I hear it's supposed to be a great day for traveling."

"Yeah, so did everybody else on this floor, I'll bet," Sunny commented. "Is it just me, or does the volume control on that radio have a mind of its own?"

I shrugged as I finished brushing my teeth. Then, while I was packing, I noticed that Sunny wasn't wearing any shoes. I didn't think anything of it, since she hardly ever wears them. I also knew that her wicker sandals were in her suitcase.

"You ready?" Sunny asked as I slipped my feet into my white Crocs.

"Yup," I answered as I stood up. After locking the room door, we returned our keys and took our suitcases to the car, and were soon on our way.

When we arrived at the airport, after making our brief stop to drop the car off at the long-term parking lot, not to mention curbside check-in and security, we grabbed a quick breakfast, which was really a granola bar from the vending machine and a bottle of juice, then went to the gate.

As soon as we got there, I saw a little girl, maybe around six or seven years old, standing near one of the trash cans. She had brown hair in braids, and was wearing a pink Disney Princess tank top and shorts, matching Crocs, and was also crying. "Wait right here," I told Sunny. I unwrapped my granola bar and started toward the little girl. "What's wrong, sweetie?" I asked.

She looked up. "I can't find my daddy," she sniffled.

"Where did you last see him?"

"I think it was over where they have those TV screens that tell you where the planes are coming from and going to," she answered.

"The destination charts?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Well, let's start there, okay?"

She nodded, and slipped her hand into mine. We walked back to Sunny. "This little girl can't find her daddy," I said. "We're going to look for him, starting at the destination charts."

"Good thinking. I'm right behind you," she said.

The three of us headed in the direction of those charts, but we didn't get very far when we saw a brown-haired man with a moustache coming our way. He was wearing light blue scrubs and black running shoes. "Destiny!" he called out.

"Daddy!" the little girl exclaimed. She let go of my hand and ran to him.

"Oh, thank God, you're safe," he said, kneeling to pick her up. "Where were you?"

"I dropped my boarding pass near the trash can," she answered. "And when I picked it up, I couldn't find you."

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you found your boarding pass, but nex time, please let me know, so it doesn't happen again, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," she promised. "Oh, this nice lady found me."

The man picked up his daughter and walked over to me. "Thank you so much," he said, shaking my hand.

"No problem," I smiled. Then after they left, I turned to Sunny and said, "Well, let's get to our gate."

Sunny nodded, and slipped her hand into mine. "I'll bet you're glad that all our baby-sitting experience came in handy, huh?"

I nodded in agreement, and I also knew that we'd definitely have something to tell our friends.


	4. Chapter 3: Logan

**CHAPTER 3: Logan**

_"Wake up, Maggie, I think I got somethin' to say to you. It's late September, and I really should be back at school..."_

Of all the songs to be playing on the radio when Mary Anne woke up from her nap, the one that happened to be playing was Rod Stewart's "Maggie May". Now that I think about it, I wondered if my singing along also woke her.

Anyway, we were just entering the city limits of Stoneybrook as the sun was setting. "Have a nice nap, honey?" I asked.

"Mm-hm," she answered, yawning and stretching. She didn't have much room to stretch, though, because we were in my Jeep. You know, the kind with the plastic windows that have the zippers. Fortunately, both windows were open, so it wasn't too unbearable. She also made sure that she didn't hit me in the face when she stretched.

As I pulled into the BP on the edge of town to get some gas, I realized just how cheap the gas in Stoneybrook, as opposed to Auburn, was. My dad once told me that by the end of the decade, gas will be so expensive that no one will be able to afford it. And that's why he traded in his Oldsmobile, his pride and joy, for a Hybrid.

Just as I was putting the nozzle in the gas tank I happened to look toward the store, and saw Sam and Stacey coming out of the exit. Sam was carrying a twelve-pack of Diet Coke. "Hi, you guys!" I shouted, waving.

"Logan, hi!" Stacey exclaimed. The two of them ran over just as Mary Anne was getting out of the Jeep.

"Hi!" she cried. I thought for sure that she'd start crying for real. After all, this was Mary Anne, the same girl who cried over literally every little thing, even if it's good news. All you had to do was tell her that the Cubs finally made it to the World Series and we've seen our last _Twilight _movie, and boom, Faucet-City. This time, though, she didn't shed one tear.

"Hi, Mary Anne," Stacey said as they hugged. "Are you looking forward to the reunion?"

"Oh, absolutely," Mary Anne smiled. "I can't wait to see everyone again."

"Well, we're staying at my mom's tonight," Stacey continued, "then we're going over to the Thomas-Brewer mansion after lunch, so we'll be there for the reunion."

I nodded.

"I'm looking forward to the graduation," Sam said. "Wow, I can't believe it's finally Karen and David Michael's turn to graduate."

"I know," Mary Anne agreed. "It seems like only yesterday that Karen thought that the old lady who lived next door was a witch."

While I put the nozzle back, I remembered the story that Kristy had told about how Karen and her friend, Hannah Papadakis, had showed up unannounced at a garden club meeting that this woman was hosting, and how Karen had called everyone there witches, including her grandma! Kristy also told me that she still remembers how pissed her folks were when they found out. I can only imagine how _my _parents would've reacted if I'd done something like that.

"Those were the days, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"Is that all you can say?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam repeated. Apparently, he couldn't quite shake his Hawkeye character from SHS' production of _M.A.S.H. _Then he changed his voice to a stuffy, falsetto British accent. "Will it rain, do you think?" he asked, rolling the _r's _and the whole bit. It reminded me a little of the last day of school before Christmas vacation my junior year of high school, and how I'd just told some of my friends that I was going to Shea Rodowsky's piano recital. I also remembered how King (to this day, I _still _don't think he'd answer to Clarence) and some of his friends had acted out that one bit from _Amadeus. _Long story short, if you've ever wondered if Sam felt that it was his duty to be such a clown, you're not alone.

We got a good laugh for a minute or two, then they turned around and went back to their car.

"See you," I called.

"Well, I'll go pay, and then I think I'll get something to drink," I said. "Do you want anything?"

"Sure," Mary Anne said. "A Tab would be fine."

"Sure," I said, and made my way into the store.

I got the drinks out of the cooler: a Tab for her and a Cherry Coke for me. When I turned around and headed toward the checkout, I saw a pretty young girl with dark hair pulled back into a French braid. She was wearing a red short-sleeved top, a blue denim miniskirt, and neon yellow jelly shoes. When she turned around and saw me, she had the world's biggest grin on her face. "Hey, Logan!" she exclaimed.

"Hi," I said. "Do I know you?"

She giggled. "Duh!" she said. "I'd know you and your wife anywhere. She ws the only baby-sitter who could handle me."

"Really?" I asked, then it started to click with me. "Jenny Prezzioso?"

She grinned and nodded. "That's me," she said.

"Well, I'll be damned! What's new with you?"

"Well, Mom and I are two of the chaperones on the trip that the Stoneybrook Kids are taking to San Francisco," Jenny answered. "I just came in to get something to drink while Mom and Dad were filling up the car."

"Oh, okay," I said. "Would you like to come out to the Jeep with me? I'm sure Mary Anne would be happy to see you."

"Sure," Jenny said, and the two of us headed outside. Jenny spotted her parents and said, "Just a sec."

"Okay," I said. I waited while Jenny talked to her parents, and waved to Mr. and Mrs. P. whenever one of them took notice of me standing there. We got to the Jeep just as Mary Anne was getting ready to get back in.

"Hey, honey, look who it is," I said.

It took Mary Anne a few seconds to size Jenny up. "Jen!" she exclaimed, hugging her

Jenny rolled her eyes. "You know I hate that nickname," she said, but she was still smiling.

"Sorry," Mary Anne apologized, holding Jenny at arm's-length. "How have you been?"

"Oh, pretty good," Jenny answered, opening her bottle and taking a sip of her Diet Mountain Dew. "I was just telling Logan that the Stoneybrook Kids are going to San Francisco."

"Really? That's great!" Mary Anne smiled. "I'll be sure to tell Dawn when I see her so she can let Jeff know. I'll bet he'd love to see them perform."

"I'm sure he would," Jenny agreed. "Well, I'd better get back to my parents, okay?"

"Sure," I said as both of us hugged her. "Well, nice seeing you."

"Tell your parents and Andrea we said hi, okay?" Mary Anne added as she opened the door to get back in the Jeep.

Jenny nodded. "Nice seeing you,"s he said. And with that, she was gone.

As I got back in the Jeep, handed Mary Anne her drink, and started the ignition, I couldn't help thinking that it felt a little odd to see our former baby-sitting charges all grown up, and it made me feel really old. I was also looking forward to the reunion, even though I knew that Jason and I would be the only guys there. Still, it was going to be great to see everyone again.


	5. Chapter 4: Stacey

**CHAPTER 4: Stacey**

After Mary Anne and Logan had gone back to their Jeep, Sam and I started to leave when we saw a sandy-haired kid on a dirt bike pull into the parking lot. After he chained up his bike, he looked in our direction and waved excitedly. "Hi, Sam! Hi, Stacey!" he called.

"Hi," I said as he came over to us. "Do we know you?"

"Well, see if this sounds familiar," he said. "Hi-hi!"

Suddenly, my eyes widened. "Jamie Newton! Is that you?" I exclaimed.

"I'll say it is!" he grinned as I threw my arms around him and Sam playfully punched his shoulder. I couldn't believe that this kid was actually little Jamie! Where did the time go?

"How are you, kiddo?" Sam asked.

"Oh, I've been doing all right," Jamie asnwered. "I'll be starting high school this fall."

"Really? That's great," I said. "Oh, how's little Lucy?"

"She's doing all right," Jamie said. "She loves the Stoneybrook Kids, and she'll be starting at SMS this fall, too. Oh, and get this: the Stoneybrook Kids are going to San Francisco!"

"Awesome!" Sam smiled. "When are they leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning," Jamie answered. "They're taking a bus to St. Louis and flying the rest of the way. Oh, Mom's one of the chaperones and the Hobarts and I are the roadies."

"That's wonderful, Jamie," I said. "I hope they all stay well."

"Yeah, really," Jamie agreed. "I still remember when Jason had his appendix out during our trip to Washington, DC."

"Well, at least you guys got home in one piece," Sam commented.

Jamie nodded in agreement. "Well, I was just getting some snacks for the bus trip," he said. "I'm told that it's going to be long and boring as hell. I just hope they don't start singing that God-awful '99 Bottles of Beer' song thirty-five times in a row." Then he changed his voice to sound like that one teacher from _Beavis & Butt-Head. _"Now, guys, beer and driving don't mix, m'kay? How about '99 Bottles of Tea'?"

We got another good laugh. When we calmed down, Sam said, "Well, if they do, then you can start singing 'I'm Henry the Eighth'." Jamie got a good laugh, and I rolled my eyes. In case you're wondering, that was how Sam got me to go to his senior prom with him.

"Well, I'd better get going," Jamie said as soon as he'd calmed down. "Okay," I said. "Well, it was great to see you Jamie. Tell your parents and Lucy we said hi, okay?"

"Okay, Stacey," Jamie called over his shoulder as we headed to the car. It was nice to see how much he'd grown.

We arrived at Mom's house a few minutes later. "I haven't been to your neck of the woods in a while," Sam commented.

"Yeah, I know," I said, trying to hide the fact that I was two seconds away from laughing. You see, the last time we were here was when Sam and I were engaged, and Mom and I had him over for dinner. It was a pretty good meal, up until we took our dishes to the kitchen. Sam had realized that he'd left his glass on the table, and when he turned around to get it, he bumped into me, causing me to spill what was left of my filet mignon all over the silk blouse that Dad had gotten me for Christmas a couple of years ago. As if that wasn't bad enough, when Sam went into the kitchen for a paper towel, Mom chose that exact moment to open the kitchen door, and smacked him right in the middle of the forehead with it! As I stood there, not knowing whether to run upstairs in humiliation or laugh, I remembered that this was something I would've expected to happen at either Mal's house or the Rodowskys'. On the upside, Sam didn't mispronounce "filet mignon" (sorry, Kristy!) Hopefully, this wasn't what would be in store for us tonight. Otherwise, we'd have to spend the evening just cleaning up the mess.

Anyway, we got to the front porch, and I rang the doorbell. "Don't worry, Stace," Sam said. "I'll be on my best behavior tonight."

"Okay, honey," I smiled. Just then, Mom answered the door.

"Hi, kids," she said. "Come on in."

"Hi, Maureen," Sam said as we stepped inside. After Sam took our twelve-pack of Diet Coke to the kitchen, the three of us sat down in the living room: Sam and I on the couch, and Mom in the armchair.

"So, what's the plan?" Mom asked after we'd finished the small talk. And no, none of us said "done her in", or talked about the weather and everybody's health. (Well, maybe we did talk about everybody's health, but not the weather.)

"Well, we're going to stay here tonight, and go to Sam's parents tomorrow after lunch," I said, "and we'll spend the rest of our vacation there."

"That's fine," Mom said. "Well, shall we have dinner now?"

"Sure," Sam said. "And I promise not to spill any of it on Stacey this time. Just in case, though, I've got a whole boxful of Shout-wipes in the glove comaprtment."

"And _I _promise not to hit you with the door again!" Mom laughed. "Unless you insult my cooking, then you'll have to watch out."

"Insult your cooking? Me?" Sam exclaimed, obviously faking being offended. "Perish the thought!" (By the way, I should mention that he said "Perish the thought!" in the same stuffy, falsetto British accent he'd used when we'd seen Mary Anne and Logan at BP.) I'm just glad he didn't pretend to adjust a monocle, because if he had, then he'd have to go somewhere else for _his _dinner!

We all got a good laugh, then went intot he dining room. As we sat down at the table, I wondered what my old BSC friends were up to, and I knew they felt the same way.


	6. Chapter 5: Mallory

**CHAPTER 5: Mallory**

"I'll be at the computer this afternoon, so we'll do our errands after the reunion, okay?" I called to Ben from the office, which was right across the hall from the kitchen.

"All right, Mal," he said. Then I heard him groan, "Aw, shit!"

"What happened?"

"Oh, nothing, just spilled Mr. Clean all over the floor," he answered. I shook my head and laughed. Now, don't get me wrong. I love Ben more than anything in the world, but when it comes to cleaning, he's all thumbs, as my mom would say.

I took a sip of my root-beer float as I sat down at the desk and turned on the computer and WebCam, which Ben's parents had given us for Christmas last year. That's all I've been craving during my pregnancy, and not the usual stuff like pickles and ice cream, or peanut butter, bacon, and banana sandwiches. _It's a good thing Claudia isn't here, _I thought as I waited for the computer to boot up. _If I know her, she'll be drinking them like the world was ending. _In case you're wondering, Claud's still the same junk-food addict she's been since I've known her. It's a miracle that she hasn't gained tons of weight or suffered terminal acne.

Anyway, within minutes, I saw everyone else. Kristy was sitting across from me. I half-expected her to be wearing her green visor. "Hi, you guys!" I said excitedly.

"Hi, Mal!" Jessi called.

"Okay, this meeting of the Baby-sitters Club is now in session," Kristy announced in that professional, let's-get-down-to-business voice that we all knew too well. Needless to say, we practically laughed ourselves sick. I even heard a rumor that those were her first words when she woke up her appendectomy. That's Kristy for you!

"So, how are you guys?" Mary Anne asked as soon as we'd calmed down.

"Oh, we're doing all right," I said, wiping some foam off my lip. "We just can't wait for the twins to be born."

"That's wonderful," Dawn said. "When are you due?"

"In a few weeks, but the doctor says that since I'm having twins, it could be any time now," I answered. "By the way, do me a favor: if you ever consider having a baby, make sure it's the middle of winter, because summer is the worst time of year to be expecting. I'm just glad I can have all the root-beer floats I want."

"Save one for me, okay, Mal?" Claud requested, and another round of laughter ensued.

"Boy, you're lucky," Kristy commented. "I couldn't even keep one down if I tried."

All of a sudden, there was dead silence. We were just sitting there, pondering what Kristy had just said. Then it hit us: Kristy was pregnant! (I really shouldn't have been that surprised, since I was probably the only one who knew.)

To no one's surprise, Mary Anne burst into tears. I swear, she must have a hidden switch somewhere. All you do is flip it, and the next thing you know, trees everywhere are being made into Kleenex.

"How far along?" I asked.

"Two months," Kristy answered. Then she started to cry, too. That was a real surprise, because Kristy rarely cries. Claud excused herself and left the room to, I assumed, get Jason.

"I'm sorry, you guys," I said, concerned. "I didn't mean to upset anyone."

"No, that's okay," Kristy sniffled. "I'm just so, so happy for us, that's all. And don't worry. The doctor says hese mood swings I've been having are only temporary. I can't wait until they're over. I feel like I'm on a yo-yo with my emotions here."

Within minutes, Jason came into the room and put his arms around Kristy. "Shh," I heard him say. "It's okay, love."

"Love". That one word really made me smile. You see, Kristy once told us that when Jason was consoling Karen after Andrew's bike accident, that's what he called her. That's one of several reasons why we made him an associate member.

The next thing I saw was Abby putting four fingers over her mouth and fanning herself with her other hand. "Oh, damn, why do I always cry?" she whimpered. She reminded me of Sandra Bullock's character from _Miss Congeniality, _and when Kelly Clarkson won _American Idol. _Call me crazy, but I still wish she'd done that. Naturally it got a big laugh. That's Abby for you.

I also remembered that _One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest _had been my senior class play. Ben and I had worked backstage, and Benny Ott, who played Harding, actually did that during a rehearsal. I'm just glad he didn't do it during a performance, because if he had, the director and his assistant would've had to play "rock-paper-scissors" to figure out who would get to wring his neck.

"Well, I should go now," I said as soon as I'd calmed down. "Ben and I have some errands to run."

"Okay," Jessi said. "'Bye, Mal."

"'Bye, you guys." After a seemingly endless round of good-byes, I turned off the computer and WebCam, finished my drink, and put my glass in the dishwasher.

It was great to see my BSC friends again. I also knew that Kristy would be just fine. After all, if I was able to get through her stage of the pregnancy, so would she.

After we left Lowe's with our wallpaper, we stopped at Babies "R" Us to pick up the formula, mobiles, and some diapers. The mobiles we'd picked out had all sorts of animals on them, namely koalas and kangaroos. I guessed that they not only reminded Ben of Australia, but they'd give the twins some insight of where their father came from.

That evening, we finished putting up the wallpaper and hung the mobiles over the cribs. "Well, that should do it," Ben said.

I nodded. "Well, I think I'll call it a night," I said.

"Okay, Mal. I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Good night sleeping keep bedbugs weeping."

"What?"

"Claudia once told us that's what her grandmother, Mimi, used to say. I don't know what it means, though."

"Oh, okay. 'Night."

As I drifted off to sleep, I hoped the twins would come soon.

At the crack of dawn, I went to the bathroom, which was right next to our room. As soon as I got there, I saw a trickle of blood and water on the bathroom floor. "BEN!" I shouted.

He was in the bathroom doorway in a flash. "It's time?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, grimacing in pain, as I felt the first contraction.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Ben rushed back into our room to get dressed. "Your bag is on the floor," I heard him call as I hurried back into our bedroom. I got there just in time to see him fling the closet door open and grab the bag. He tossed it onto the bed as he reached for a pair of jeans. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised he didn't fall headfirst into the closet.

A few minutes later, after Ben called our parents and the doctor, we were on our way to the hospital. Ben was driving pretty safely for someone who was about to become a father. I guess all those years of being in charge of three rowdy brothers really paid off.

We pulled into the hospital entrance, where an orderly was waiting with a wheelchair. After Ben and the orderly helped me out of the minivan and into the chair, Ben signed me in and we went to the labor and delivery room. The nurses helped me change clothes, then into bed, and hooked me up to an IV and fetal monitor. Dr. Weber came in, and after examining me, said, "Well, Mallory, you're two centimeters dilated. Also, since it's this early, we may have to do a C-section."

"That's okay, I understand," I said.

Around noon, I was being taken to the OR. "Now, don't pass out when she delivers the first baby," I told Ben. I was, of course, referring to the scene in _Look Who's Talking, Too, _when Julie is born—by way of C-section, of course—and James passes out when he sees the blood. What a wuss!

"I won't," Ben laughed, giving me a kiss. "See you later."

Finally, I was lying on the table, surrounded by sterile drapes, so I couldn't see what they were doing. Ben stood by my head and held my hand. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, considering how loopy I was from the anesthesic they'd given me.

About twenty minutes later, we heard a baby's cry. "Here she comes," Dr. Weber said. "Baby girl born at 12:41."

"Andrea!" Ben cried.

Then about another two minutes after that, another baby cried. "Here he is," the doctor announced. "Baby boy born at 12:43."

"Justin!" Ben exclaimed. I couldn't really hear him, becacuse I was getting really dizzy. "Mal?" he asked uneasily. "Mal?"

"She's losing blood!" I faintly heard a voice yell as I blacked out.


	7. Chapter 6: Claudia

**CHAPTER 6: Claudia**

The next day, I arrived at SHS for the graduation. It was a beautiful eighty-degree day, and there were no clouds in sight. That was a good thing, too, because the ceremony was going to be held on the football field while the auditorium was being renovated over the summer. As I headed in the direction of the football field, Margo Pike caught up with me. "Hi, Claudia," she said.

"Hi, Margo," I answered. It just didn't seem possible that one day, she was peeling a banana with her feet, and eating it, while reciting "The House That Jack Built". And now, here she was, graduating from high school, as the salutatorian of her class, mind you. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said. "Oh, we got a phone call from Ben this morning. Mallory just went into labor with the twins."

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "I just hope that when she's doing the Lamaze breathing, Ben doesn't start singing 'We Will Rock You', or even 'Having My Baby' during the delivery. On the upside, he shouldn't be coming back after having an appendectomy." Mal once told me that when her mom was in labor with Claire, her dad started singing "Having My Baby", and Mrs. Pike punched him dead in the face!

Margo laughed, then checked her watch. "Well, I have to run," she said. "I've got to get ready for the graduation."

I squeezed her hand. "Good luck," I said.

"Thanks."

I found a seat behind Jason and Kristy, and the ceremony soon got underway. I think my favorite part was when Jackie Rodowsky, our beloved Walking Disaster, tripped over his own foot on his way up to get his diploma. That was memorable, but I don't think any of us were expecting Kristy's own brother to do a jazz split after he got his.

After the ceremony, I walked around and talked to the kids I knew, then I got in my car to return to Kristy's.

Later, back at the Thomas-Brewer mansion, Kristy apologized for her breakdown the day before. "Oh, that's all right," I reassured her as I squeezed her hand. "We understand. Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I've been told that when Mom was expecting me, the tiniest request had her yelling in Japanese at the top of her lungs." I'd always found that a little odd, considering the fact that Mom once told me that she'd come to the United States when she was a kid.

We all got a good laugh. Just thinking about that made me wonder what kind of person I'd be if I was ever pregnant. Hopefully, I wouldn't be that much of a psycho, and if I craved anything else besides junk food, all bets were off.

A few minutes later, I stood up. "Well, I should be going," I said after I'd thrown my plate and cup in the trash. "I have to get ready to go back to Chicago."

"Oh, that's right," Stacey remembered. "By the way, how's that new art exhibit coming along."

"Well, I'm almost done," I answered as I put my purse on my shoulder. "I've just got a painting and a sculpture to do. Oh, and it opens November first."

"Good," Stacey said. "We'll try to be there."

"See you later," I said. After a quick round of hugs and good-byes, I was out the door.

Later, I was heading to McDonald's for a bite to eat. I don't know why, but I'd had the strongest craving for a McRib for quite a while. (Who knows? If I was ever pregnant, I may just skip the junk food and move into McDonald's for nine months.) That's the one thing that Dawn hates the most about that place, and the rest of us used to give her a hard time about it.

When I got out into the restaurant district, I saw a horrible sight. A car was coming out of the McDonald's parking lot, and another car, going very fast and driving erratically, ran the stop sign, plowed into it from the passenger side, and sent it into the guard rail!

"Oh, my God!" I cried. I reached for my cell phone and called 911. I gave them my name, my location, and what happened. Next, still keeping my cell phone with me, I went to check the car for passengers.

I couldn't believe who it was! In the front seat were Kristy's stepsister Karen, and her friend, Hannah. In the back seat was Nancy. Their caps and gowns looked like they'd been thrown all over the place, because I saw a gown covering Nancy's legs and a cap resting on her left arm. I just couldn't believe that one minute, these girls were celebrating graduation, and now this. "Are you guys okay?" I asked.

"Who's that?" Hannah asked.

"It's Claudia," I said.

"Claudia? Oh, thank God. I don't know what happened, but my arm hurts."

"Nancy?" I asked.

"My leg," she moaned.

"Karen?" I asked. "Karen?"

There was no response. She had apparently been knocked unconscious. Just then, I heard another car pull up. I looked up to see who it was. It was Abby! "ABBY!" I shouted.

She ran over just as I jumped onto the trunk. "Anything I can do?" she asked.

"I'll let you know in just a minute," I said as I tore the sunroof off its hinges and poked my head inside. "Hannah, listen to me very carefully," I said. "What I need for you to do is stand up. Can you do that for me, honey?"

"I-I think so," she said, struggling to her feet.

"Now," I continued as Abby kicked in the back window on the passenger side. "I need you to put your good arm around my neck, and Abby will push you up from behind, okay?"

Hannah nodded.

"Okay," Abby said. "Very gently, on my count. One...two...three!" She pushed Hannah up from behind, and I eased her out by holding onto her skirt. Unfortunately, in the process, she stepped on Nancy's broken leg.

"AAAH, JESUS CHRIST!" Nancy screamed. It was so shrill that it made our ears ring for a good three minutes.

_Well, that just took three years off my life, _I thought. Abby helped Hannah sit on the curb, and started talking to her in a low, soothing voice, in Yiddish, I might add, as the ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars pulled up.

"There's two more in the car!" I shouted to the firemen. "Be careful, one of them has a broken leg!" Using the Jaws of Life, they were able to pry both doors off the car and free the other two from the steaming, mangled wreck.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a cop run over to the other car. The frotn bumper was folded in on itself like an accordion. Even though it was dark out, I clearly remember seeing a puddle of gasoline forming on the pavement behind the back bumper. That could only mean one thing: the fuel tank had been damaged. I wanted to scream at the cop not to get any closer, because one little spark could blow both the cop and the driver to Kingdom Come, but I ws in such a state of shock by what I'd just witnessed, I couldn't say a word. Fortunately, a fireman was close behind, just in case.

The cop and the fireman struggled with the driver's side door. When they were able to get it open, they started to pull the driver out, then stopped. "He's drunk!" the cop shouted.

_Oh, dear God, no, _I thought in dismay. As a cop walked over to me to get my statement, I thought of Amelia Freeman, and prayed that these girls wouldn't suffer a similar fate.


	8. Chapter 7: Shannon

**CHAPTER 7: Shannon**

After the graduation, I approached Kristy. "Look," I said. "My shoulder's really killing me, so I'm afraid I can't stop by your place today."

"That's okay," she said. "Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday. I just can't wait until I don't have to deal with these damn mood swings anymore."

I nodded. "Next come the food cravings," I said.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Kristy said. "Oh, and if you see me trying to break into the SMS cafeteria, I'm ordering you to wrestle me to the ground and hog-tie me. If I start yelling and swearing at you, you have my permission to pour hot sauce down my throat."

"How about cod-liver oil?" I suggested, smiling.

"Deal," Kristy laughed. "Well, see you later, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed, giving her a hug. As I walked back to Bart, I rubbed my shoulder.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" he asked.

I guess I have some explaining to do. You see, my shoulder's really been bothering me lately. I thought if I just took Ibuprofen, rubbed Icy-Hot on it, exercised more, and went to the chiropractor once a week, the pain would just go away. Well, naturally, it didn't, so I finally went to the doctor a few days ago. That was when I found out that I have a mild form of something called ankylosing spondylitis. I'm told that it's a degenerative bone disease that's inherited, although there's no record of it in my family's medical history, for some reason. It's as if your bones and joints are slowly filling up with hot, quick-drying cement, and forcing your spine forward and pushing you down to the ground. If the doctor tries to operate on any open spot between or inside your joints, it'll just grow back like a cut-off fingernail. When the doctor first told me this, I was beyond horrified. I wasd ultimately convinced that I was going to have to spend the rest of my life walking around like a hunchback. That was when I found out that I have a mild—and I stress _mild—_form of the disease that would most likely stop in my mid-thirties, and if I was lucky, I probably wouldn't have any long-term problems at all. In the meantime, I was told to exercise as often as possible, and I was also given some Vicodin. Now that I think about it, maybe my diagnosis was some sort of retribution for bieng such a stuck-up bitch when I first met Kristy, and also for making fun of Louie, the Thomases' old collie, who had to be put down when we were in eighth grade. In fact, I still remember when Kristy's little stepsister Karen invited me and my friends to Louie's funeral. And let me tell you, on that day, being with Kristy's family, and seeing them grieving for that poor dog, I literally felt an inch tall.

"Wouldn't hurt," I said, "but first, I want to go home, change my clothes, and pack a few things. We can leave my car at the apartment, and take yours."

"Okay," Bart agreed. We got in our cars and returned home.

After we got home, I changed my clothes and called Kristy's. After leaving a message on the answering machine, which told them that I was on my way to the hospital, I gathered up a few things and put them in my Adidas bag: a toothbrush, some toothpaste, a clean outfit to wear home, some deoderant, my copy of _The Silver Chair. _I was already up to the part where they find themselves in the Underworld.

"Ready?" Bart asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Let's go."

As we drove to the hospital, I was practically wishing away my pain.

When we arrived at the hospital, I signed in at the emergency room, then Bart and I sat down to wait. I know that kind of place has a reputation for being really busy, and the wait could be long, but there were only one of two people in the waiting room when we arrived. A few minutes later, the nurse called my name and led me to Exam One, where she checked my vital signs, and told me to take my shoes and socks off, and the doctor would be with me shortly.

A few minutes later, Dr. Owens came in. She looks like Laura Innes, who played Dr. Kerry Weaver on _ER_. "Well, Shannon, what seems to be the trouble?" she asked.

"The pain in my shoulder has gotten worse. I took the last pill yesterday, and haven't had time to get down to the drugstore," I answered.

The doctor nodded, then did a brief examination of her own. The first thing she did was attach a couple of electrodes to my chest, under my top. "What...what are you doing? My heart's fine." This wasn't part of the procedure, was it?

"We're just taking a brief measurement, just to be sure," she told me. A few minutes later, she detached the electrodes. "Well, we'll have to admit you for a couple of days. We'll see how you do with medication dripping into your veins. In the meantime, I'll write a new prescription and have ten refills on it, so you won't have to keep coming back every few days."

I nodded.

After Dr. Owens left, the nurse returned with a hospital gown, put the little plastic bracelet around my wrist, and left. After I changed my clothes, I laid on the bed and covered up to my waist with the blanket that had been provided.

A few minutes later, the nurse returned with a large plastic bag. "I'm going to put your clothes in here, okay?" she said.

"Okay," I said. "Could you also give it to my fiancé to take home?"

"Sure," she answered, then left the room again.

While she was gone, Dr. Owens returned with some paperwork. I sat up long enough to fill it out and hand it back to her as the nurse returned with an IV pole. I laid back down, and she wiped my arm with a cotton ball and stuck a needle into the vein. Then the doctor and nurse left.

A few minutes later, the doctor returned. "We've got a room ready, Shannon," she said. "The nurses will be back in a few minutes to take you."

"Okay," I said. "Is Bart still here?"

"Would you like me to have a nurse get him?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay." Dr. Owens left again, and a few minutes later, Bart and the nurse came in.

"Got the bag?" I asked.

He nodded and held it up. "I'll take these home and wash them for you," he said. "And yes, I made sure to get that fabric softener that smells like ocean breeze."

"Thanks," I said, managing a tiny smile, but on the inside, I was a wreck.

Bart stroked my hair. "Don't worry, it's going to be all right, honey," he said.

At that moment, two nurses returned with a gurney. Bart and the nurses helped me onto it, and we headed for the elevators. All the while, I was hoping everything would come out all right.


	9. Chapter 8: Stacey

**CHAPTER 8: Stacey**

When Sam and I arrived at the hospital, we saw everyone sitting in the waiting room, and they were just in shock by the events of the evening. There were two empty seats by Andrew and Emily, so Sam and I sat down. Emily was clinging to Andrew's arm and quietly sobbing. "Any word yet?" I asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Are you all right, Kristy?" she asked. I could tell that she was worried about the possibility of the stress causing Kristy to lose the baby, and that was the last thing she needed.

"Mom, I'm fine," Kristy said through clenched teeth as she fought to keep her voice steady. "I called Dr. Wright's office before we left, and he says that I'm far enough along that I don't have to worry about a miscarriage."

"Okay, honey," Elizabeth said.

A few minutes later, two doctors came out. One of them, of course, was Claudia's sister Janine. She introduced the other one as Dr. Kendall, who told us to sit down.

Just then, I saw Hannah and her parents coming toward us. Hannah's right arm was in a cast. "Holy Mother of God," Jason whispered.

"How did this happen?" I asked as they sat down across from me, Sam, and Andrew.

"I broke it," she explained. "I was leaning against the car door when we were hit, and broke my wrist. I'll have to be in a cast for the next six weeks. I'm just glad I'm left-handed." I patted her shoulder. "How are Karen and Nancy?"

"Well, Nancy has a broken leg, and possibly a concussion, so we're keeping her tonight for observation," Dr. Kendall answered, "but sadly, Karen's in a coma."

"Oh, no," Hannah said. With her good hand, she gripped her mother's. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jason take hold of his father's ID tags and cross himself.

"We won't know anything more until Karen comes out of the coma," Janine told us.

"How long...?" David Michael asked. He wasn't crying yet, but I could see two faint streaks running down the sides of his face. Janine shook her head as if to say, "I don't know."

"Would it be all right if Stacey and I saw her?" Sam asked, fighting the tears.

"Yes," Janine answered. "You certainly may, but you don't have to if you don't feel up to it, you know."

"She's my stepsister, Janine," Sam answered. "I _have _to see her."

"This way," Janine said, and led us down the hall to Karen's room.

Nothing could've prepared us for what we saw in that room: this beautiful young girl was lying on her back, hooked up to an IV, a heart monitor, respirator, and a pulse oximeter on her left index finger. Her face was a mess of scabs and bruises, her forehead had a big white bandage plastered across it, her nose was broken, and her right index finger was completely taped up. I was shocked, because I just couldn't believe that this badly damaged little body was Karen Brewer. Neither of us could.

I looked at Sam. His jaw and fists were tightly clenched, his blue eyes were blazing, his body was shaking, and a tear was cascading down his face. In all the years I'd known him, I'd never seen him like that before.

"Sam..." I started to whisper, but suddenly, and without warning, he grabbed a silver basin from a nearby table and threw it across the room.

"YOU SON OF A _BITCH!" _he screamed as he threw it. Like a guided missile, it struck a little glass picture frame on the wall, shattering it, and knocking it to the floor. His scream was so loud that it could've woken the dead, but when I glanced at Karen, she never moved or blinked an eyelash. Sam slumped down into the chair beside the bed, and the next thing I knew, he was bawling in hysterics. I hadn't seen anyone cry that much since the time Taylor DeWitt fell off the monkey bars at the playground and broke his collarbone.

"How could this be happening, Stacey?" he sobbed. "And why Karen? _Why, _dammit? How can anyone on this planet be so irresponsible!"

"Oh, honey, honey," I said, sitting on his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck. I was also crying by now, and not just for Karen, but also for the rest of the family. I also remembered the day I'd found out that my former best friend, Laine Cummings, was in a hit-and-run while crossing the street at Park and 73rd. (We were getting ready to start our senior year of high school at the time.) She'd survived, but was paralyzed from the waist down, and suffered permanent brain damage, namely losing half of her senses of taste and smell, not to mention color-blindness. Nowadays, she lives in an apartment complex for disabled people on West 81st Street, and has an assisted-living provider. Since then, she and I have been in the process of burying the hatchet, or at least trying to.

You see, we'd had a big falling-out when we were in eighth grade. I'd invited her to spend school break with me in Stoneybrook, and she'd acted like a snob the whole time. She insisted on calling me Anastasia. That's my given name, and it's on my driver's license, diploma, birth, and marriage certificates, and also, nobody ever calls me that unless they're really mad at me—when she knew perfectly well that my name was Stacey. After she returned to New York, we broke up our friendship and started rekindling it after her accident, or at least trying to.

I spent a very long time in that room, trying to comfort my husband, worrying about Karen, and wondering how Laine was doing. I also said a prayer for Karen, hoping that she'd be spared from a fate similar to Laine's, or God knows what else.


	10. Chapter 9: Shannon

**CHAPTER 9: Shannon**

When we arrived at the room, Bart and the nurses helped me to the bed. It was a fairly nerve-wracking experience, because I thought for sure that they were going to drop me. Then again, I know that nurses are trained to be careful, but even so, I grabbed their arms as tightly as possible during the transfer. Let's just say that for the first time in my life, I knew exactly how Denise Nickerson felt when those Oompa-Loompas were rolling her down the hall in _Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. _Thank God, those nurses knew what the hell they were doing!

After they left, Bart said, "Well, I've got to get home, so I'll drop your clothes off, okay?"

I nodded. In case you're wondering, yes, Bart does have a key to my apartment. "See you later." Bart gave me a kiss on the lips, and left, taking the bag with him.

As soon as he left, a nurse came in. She had long brown hair with gray streaks in it, and her name tag read "Elaine".

"Hi," I said. Elaine filled my cup with water, checked my vital signs, and left the room.

After she left, I fell asleep, wondering what the next couple of days would bring.

The next morning, I was awakened early when another nurse caem in. He had long blonde hair and a really ugly pencil-thin moustache, and his name tag read "Joe". He shook the cup to make sure I had water, checked my vital signs, checked the IV, and left the room, without telling me good morning or asking me how I was feeling. I thought was kind of rude, but I dismissed it, because I figured he had a lot of patients to see that day.

Mom came after lunch. I could tell that something was wrong when I saw her face. "What is it, Mom?" I asked.

"I got a call from Watson Brewer last night," she said. "Karen and her friends were in a serious car accident."

"Oh, no," I said in disbelief. "Are they all right?"

"Well, he said that Hannah suffered a broken wrist, but was treated and released. Nancy broke her leg, spent the night in the hospital, and was released this morning, but Karen's in a coma."

"How's Kristy taking it?" I asked. Since I knew that Kristy was two months pregnant, I figured that she'd lose either her mind, or the baby.

"She's doing pretty well," Mom answered. "In fact, I told her about you, and she said that she and Jason would try to come and visit."

"Thanks," I said.

"Well, see you later, okay?"

I nodded. "Bye, Mom. Thanks for coming."

After Mom left, I took a nap. If there was one thing I knew about Karen, it's that she's a fighter, and she'd pull through this.

That night, I had just finished dinner, and was ready to pick up my book (I was already up to the part where the three travelers meet the Black Knight in the Underworld), when a third nurse came in. She had shoulder-length black hair, and her name tag read "Beth". I wonder how many times she's heard that song by KISS?

"Hi, Ms. Kilbourne," she said, in her thick Boston accent, as hse finished checking my vital signs and picked up the cup to shake it for water. "How are we today?"

"Oh, pretty good," I answered. "The pain in my shoulder's going away."

"That's good," she said as she refilled my cup with water. "That IV must be working, huh?"

I nodded. "Thanks," I said as she replaced the cup on the bedside table.

"No problem," she said.

Just then, a loudspeaker out in the hall blared, "Dr. McVicar, please report to Trauma Two. Dr. McVicar to Trauma Two, stat."

"See you later," Beth said, and she was gone in a flash. Later that night as I drifted off to sleep, I wondered how Karen was doing, and how Kristy was holding up.

Early the next morning, yet another nurse came in—four in all. She had red hair that was pulled back into a bun, and her name tag read "Sue". "I'll be your nurse until you leave today," she told me. "In fact, when I get done here, I'm going to disconnect the IV."

"Okay," I said. At the same time, I thought, _Hallelujah! _There are few things that are worse than having an IV in your arm.

When she finished, as promised, she disconnected the IV. "The doctor will be here this afternoon, and you may get to go home then," she said as she wrapped the tubing around the pole. "And Dr. Owens called your fiancé. He's on his way."

"Thanks," I said. The nurse left, taking the pole with her. I was so glad to be rid of it. I raised my arm and let it fall on my lap a few times. I remembered when I'd played Fantine in Stoneybrook Day School's production of _Les Misérables _my senior year (and yes, Bart played Jean Valjean), and how I'd done that motion during "Come to Me" when I sang, _"You've played the day away, and soon it will be night..." _I know that sounds nuts, but if you've ever disliked having an IV in your arm, you'd know exactly how I felt to be rid of it. Looking back on _Les Miz, _on the upside, I'm not a natural ham, so Bart didn't have to worry about me grabbing his shirt, and he didn't have to resort to saying, "Would you just die already?"

Bart arrived a little while later. "I may get to come home this afternoon," I told him as I crawled to the foot of the bed and climbed out to go to the bathroom

"That's great," he said as he laid my outfit on a chair.

"We need to stop by the drugstore and get my prescription filled, thought," I called to him from the bathroom.

"No problem," he said as I came out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

The nurse had just left with my empty lunch tray when Dr. Owens came in. "Well, Shannon, you're free to go," she said.

"Thank you," I said. After she left, I slipped into the bathroom, changed my clothes, and used the toilet again. I put on a white short-sleeved top, a peach sundress with spaghetti straps, and white flip-flops. Abby had gotten it for me when she, Jessi, and Mal were in Arizona. It's my favorite summer outfit, and I'm amazed it still fit.

I couldn't wait to get home.


	11. Chapter 10: Mallory

**CHAPTER 10: Mallory**

I was having the most wonderful dream. In it, I was wearing a pink-and-lavender checkered sundress and running barefoot through this endless field of daisies. The birds were singing, the sun was shining on my face, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. My hair was fluttering in the breeze like a banner, and the wind was blowing directly into my eyes. There was no one else for miles around, only me. Then I heard a voice calling my name: "Mal!"

In one second flat, I stopped running, and looked around to see where the voice was coming from. There, about four feet away from me, was a giant marble swimming pool, and Ben was standing beside it. I ran up and threw my arms and legs around him, and held on with all my strength. "Oh, Ben, I'm so glad to see you," I whispered as I covered him with kisses and ran my hands through his hair. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so happy and safe with him.

"I'm glad to see you, too, honey," he said softly as he put me down. That's when I noticed an unusual smell: bleach, baby lotion, and antiseptic all mixed together. I looked at him in confusion.

"It's all right, Mal," he reassured me as he ran his fingertips down my face. "The babies are fine, and they can't wait to see you."

"They are?"

Ben nodded. "Now, I suggest we get going so you can see them." With that, he led me to the edge of the pool. I immediately got the picture as I looked into the water and saw myself lying in the hospital bed.

"It's all right now, kids," I said, my voice trembling. "I'm coming." Ben and I looked at each other, gripped hands, and jumped headfirst into the water. In an instant, there was a blinding flash of light in every color of the rainbow, and then everything went dark again.

"Mal? It's Ben. Can you open your eyes for me?"

That was the first thing I heard as I was coming out of the blackness. I opened my eyes, and looked in his direction.

"What...?" I started to ask. I had no idea how long I'd been out. I also noticed that my voice was slightly muffled behind an oxygen mask.

"It's 9:00 on Monday morning. You've been out cold since 12:45 yesterday afternoon," he told me.

"I have?" I exclaimed groggily. Wow. I hadn't slept that much since I was eleven and about to be diagnosed with mono. (Just for the record, I didn't get it from Ben, or so I've tried to tell my siblings, but they didn't believe me.) And considering how the Pike household is known for its rowdiness, I was surprised that I was able to sleep as well as I did. "How are the babies?"

"They're fine," the doctor answered. "They're both in the nursery. You had twins, a boy and a girl, Justin and Andrea."

"I know that!" I excelaimed in mock-disbelief. "I was awake when they were born!"

"How are you feeling?" Ben asked, stroking my hair.

"Still confused," I told him. "How long have I been out?"

"A little over twenty hours,"he answered. "Oh, I called Jessi a little while ago."

"Oh, okay. How is she?"

"Fine. She told me to tell you that she and her boyfriend—what's his name?"

"Manette."

"Right. Anyway, she told me to tell you that she got us comp tickets for that '80s revue they're doing next month. They should be in the mail when we get home."

"Oh, that's great," I smiled, weak, but excited. "Oh, by the way, where am I?"

The nurse came in just in time to hear my question. "You're in the recovery room," she answered as she filled a basin with water and applied it to my face with a wet washcloth. I remembered when Jason told us the story of when he'd gotten the scar on his face and that was what had brought him around in the emergency room.

"Oh, I got an e-mail on my laptop from Kristy this morning," Ben said. "Karen and her friends were in a serious car accident last night."

"Oh, no, that's _awful," _I said. "As soon as I get some strength back, I'll send her a reply."

"How does that feel, dear?" the nurse asked as she put the washcloth in the basin and removed the oxygen mask.

"Much better," I answered. "Um, I was wondering if I...well, you know..." I gestured up and down my body with my right hand.

"Yes, you still have your uterus," the nurse smiled. "But in the future, I think it would be wise to wait a while before trying to have any more kids."

I sighed with relief, then nodded in agreement as the nurses came to take me to my room. All the while, I was worrying about Karen, and also thankful that I'd survived my first pregnancy. And as for what the nurse said about waiting a while to have another kid, you'd better believe I planned to!


	12. Chapter 11: Claudia

**CHAPTER 11: Claudia**

The next morning, I was fixing myself a cheese Danish and a cup of coffee for breakfast when Janine came in. She looked exhausted, so she'd apparently had a long night at the hospital. "'Morning," I said cheerfully as I took my breakfast to the table.

"Ugh, it's bedtime to me," Janine complained, sinking into a chair across from me.

"Long night?" I guessed.

"You might say that," she answered. "Listen, no matter how exciting you think my life is, being a doctor isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"I'll say," I agreed. "No offense, Janine, but you look like hell."

"None taken," she answered. "Do you mind if I have some of that coffee?"

"Yeah, there's still some on the stove," I answered. While Janine poured her coffee, I asked, "How are the girls?"

"Well, Hannah suffered a broken right wrist, but was treated and released," Janine answered as she sat back down. "Nancy broke her right leg, but there was no concussion, spent the night in the hospital, and was released this morning. Sad to say, though, Karen's in a coma."

"Poor kid," I said sympathetically.

"Listen, Claudia," Janine said in a businesslike tone of voice, "I talked to the nurses, and even though I know you're not family—well, Karen's family, that is—I was wondering, would you like to see her?"

"Really? You mean it?" I asked.

"Sure," she said. "After all, you were there on the scene of the accident."

"Of course," I said. "Is there a certain time I can come?"

"Any time you want."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around my sister. I just couldn't believe my own good luck.

I arrived at the hospital later that morning, and saw Kristy and Jason sitting on some chairs out in the hall. "Hi, you guys," I said. They looked up. It was very obvious that Kristy had been crying. Part of it was due to her pregnancy, but most of it was from the accident.

Anyway, Kristy stood up and gave me the warmest hug. "Thank you so much for being there," she whispered. "I don't know what would've happened if it hadn't been for you."

"I know, I know," I said softly, petting her hair. "Oh, I called the airline this morning, and canceled my flight home for tomorrow. I want to stay as long as I can. I also called the school superintendent and asked for a substitute this week."

"Oh, Claud, you didn't have to do that," Jason said.

"I know, but I wanted to," I told them. "I really care about you guys."

With that, the three of us hugged each other, then headed to the elevators as we saw Sam and Stacey coming back from the cafeteria. After we hugged them, we got on the elevator and headed to the first floor to get some lunch.

As soon as we got our food, we sat down at a nearby table. "I sure hope Karen comes out of the coma soon," I said, taking a bite of lasagna. I don't know why, but I found myself remembering a couple of things. First, there was the time I was baby-sitting for a practical joker named Betsy Sobak, and broke my leg. You see, she'd convinced me to use this old swing, and after I fell, she swore up and down that she didn't know the swing was broken, but I thought baby-sitting was too dangerous, so I almost quit the BSC. When Kristy came to visit me in the hospital that following weekend, she arrived around lunch time, and said that the hospital's food looked worse than school food and airline food combined. I also remembered how Kristy used to make disgusting comments about the school lunch, and make Mary Anne almost gag. Hopefully, by today's standards, it's much more identifiable, not to mention digestible. Why no one's called the Health Department is beyond me.

"I do, too," Kristy said. "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to her." While she was speaking, I noticed Jason taking her hand. Her other hand was clenching her fork so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. I thought for sure that fork was going to snap in half.

I guessed that Jason was thinking the same thing I was. "Kristy, honey," he said soothingly. "Calm down. Can you do that for me, love? Just take some deep breaths for me, all right?" All the while, he was rubbing her back, and doing everything in his power to keep her from exploding.

To my surprise, Kristy was able to calm down. She took a deep breath and loosened her grip on her fork. "I'm all right," she said calmly. "I'm going to be all right."

Hopefully, we all would be.


	13. Chapter 12: Abby

**CHAPTER 12: Abby**

I took Friday afternoon off, because I was anxious to see how Karen was doing. You see, she came out of the coma on Tuesday afternoon, and Jason told us that she woke up while he was singing "Any Dream Will Do" from _Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. _I can only imagine how Karen would've reacted if _I'd _been the one singing to her! As I rounded the corner to go to Karen's room, I saw Kristy run out, with Jason close behind. I saw Jason grab her, but it looked like she was trying to fight him off. "Get the hell away from me!" she screamed. "Don't touch me!"

_Uh-oh, what happened? _I thought as I got a little closer. That's when I heard Kristy burst into tears for what seemed like the millionth time in the past six days. Jason wrapped Kristy in a hug and very gently rubbed her back. I think it must have taken her, at the most, five minutes to calm down. As upset as she was that day, I thought for sure that she was going to have a miscarriage.

"Don't you realize that Karen and her friends could've been _killed?" _I heard her sob.

"Yes, I know," Jason said gently. "Kristy? Kristy, look at me, please."

Kristy raised her head. "I'm well aware that they could've been killed love," he said gently, "but they weren't, and we should be thankful."

Kristy buried her face into Jason's shoulder and sobbed her heart out as Jason continueed trying to comfort her. "What happened?" I asked as I approached them.

"The police just stopped by," Jason explained as Kristy turned aay from him and buried her face into my shoulder. I rubbed her back. "They told us that the guy who hit Karen and her friends had been drunk, and died as soon as he got to the hospital."

Now I understood why Kristy was so upset. She was thinking of Amelia Freeman. I know I was.

That was such a horrible day, one that I don't think any of us would soon forget. In fact, I still remember the look on Mr. Kingbridge's face when he broke the news to the entire school. That's one image that will never leave me, as well as Grandpa Morris' face when he told Anna and me that our father had been killed in a car accident. To this day, I still wish I knew who was driving the car that killed Amelia, because I'd sure love to kick that guy's ass.

By the way, the Memory Garden, which was planted in the courtyard at SMS, is still there. After ten years, it still looks as fresh as it did when it was first planted. The bench with the plaque is still intact. I think the staff felt that they owed it to Amelia, her family, and the student body at SMS, to keep it alive.

"How's Karen?" I asked. Kristy released herself from my grasp. I gave her a hug, and handed her a tissue.

"Well, the doctor says that Karen doesn't need glasses anymore, except for reading," Jason answered.

"Really?" I asked.

Kristy nodded. "You see, when she came out of the coma, she couldn't see," she explained. "Everything was just a big blur, so the eye doctor examined her, and saw that the accident had damaged her retinas. Thats when he decided to do Lasik surgery, and that's why she only needs her reading glasses from now on."

That _was _good news, after everything that had just happened this past week. And believe me, Karen's family sure as hell could use some good news.

As a famous person once said, all's well that ends well.


	14. Chapter 13: Jessi

**CHAPTER 13: Jessi**

On Friday morning, I packed up to return to New York. When I got in a good spot on the highway, I called Manette on my cell phone and asked him to meet me at McDonald's.

You see, there's a McDonald's in the theater district where they seat you like they do at a fancy restaurant, but you can order traditional McDonald's food, which is served on china plates. It was once featured on an episode of _World's Best _on the Travel Channel, when they talked about unusual fast-food places. (I _think _that's what it was called.)

As I crossed the state line from Connecticut to New York, I wondered how everything had been while I was away.

When I pulled into McDonald's, I saw Manette's truck parked right next to where I was pulling in. "Hi!" I exclaimed as I got out of my car.

"Hi, Jessi," he said, picking me up and twirling me around. When he set me down, he kissed me on the lips. I love it when he does that, because I can feel his beard brushing against my face. Surprisingly, it's not the least bit scratchy or uncomfortable. In fact, I love him so much, I don't care what it feels like.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said.

The two of us went inside, and soon got to a table. After the waitress took our order, Manette looked at me, and grinned.

"You know, I've been thinking about you, and our relationship, while you were gone," he said.

"You have?" I asked.

He nodded. "Well, let me explain it to you this way," he said, then he started singing, _"I, I was the lonely one, wonderin' what went wrong, why love had gone, and left me lonely. I, I was so confused, feelin' like I'd been used, then you came to me, and my feelings left me..."_

Right then and there, everybody in that entire restaurant joined in, _"Even the nights are be-etter, now that we're here toge-ether, even the nights are be-etter, since I found yo-o-ou..."_

Man, you should've seen the look on my face. The whole time, I had such a huge, dorky grin, I thought my cheeks were going to pop like a couple of cherry tomatoes. (On the upside, no one was whistling or saying, "This is Bob.") I was so touched, I didn't even care that a pretty large percentage of the customers couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Come to think of it, neither can I. In that momehnt, I knew exactly how Kelly McGillis felt in that one scene from _Top Gun _when those guys sang to her. And no, none of them can sing, either.

The next thing he did was pull a ring out from the underside of the table and get down on one knee in front of me. "Jessica Davis Ramsey, will you marry me?" he asked, slipping the ring onto my finger.

"Yes," I managed to whisper, then burst into tears. I threw my arms around Manette, and we kissed, long and passionately. All the while, everyone in that restaurant was cheering, whistling, and whooping it up, like they were at a Super Bowl party.

It was the happiest day of my life.


	15. Chapter 14: Mary Anne

**CHAPTER 14: Mary Anne**

Logan and I went to Burger King for lunch on Friday afternoon. (To this day, like practically all of the BSC members, I still remember the cast party we'd had there after _Carnival _opened.) All through lunch and on the way home, Logan and I hardly said a word, unless we were talking about the good news we'd gotten about Karen's condition. The rest of the time, I was worrying about whether or not Dawn had told Dad and Sharon about her and Sunny.

You see, Dawn had told me a few days ago that ever since she'd moved back to California for good, she and Sunny had become more than just friends, and that she was bi. I still remember the look on her face when she'd told me. It was the same look I'd had in first grade when Dad showed up at the Mother's Day tea party, after I'd already invited Mimi. The only difference was, the look on her face was a hundred times worse.

I told her that she'd eventually have to tell Dad and Sharon, and she promised to do so. If she did tell them, I wondered how they'd taken it.

Anyway, when we got home, the first thing we saw was Sharon sitting on the couch with her arms folded and her head hanging down. Dad was beside her with his arms around her. "Hi," I said, a touch of uneasiness in my voice.

Sharon looked up. I could tell by her red eyes that she'd been crying. "Hi, Mary Anne, hi, Logan," she said calmly. However, I knew that she was seconds away from starting up again. "How's your friend? Uh, Karen, right?"

Logan and I nodded. "We got a call from Kristy this morning," Logan said. "Karen can see again, and best of all, she only needs her reading glasses from now on."

"That's wonderful," Sharon said.

Dad nodded in agreement. "I guess you could say that the accident was a blessing in disguise, huh?"

Logan and I nodded again. Dad really hit the nail on the head with that one.

"Listen, is Dawn still here?" I asked, changing the subject.

"She's asleep," Sharon answered. "She and Sunny are going back to New York tonight."

Logan and I sat down on the loveseat, which was on the right side of the couch, at a 90-degree angle. "Did she tell you?" I whispered. Part of it was so that Dawn wouldn't hear us, but most of it was because I was preparing myself for what was coming next.

Sharon nodded. She was still pretty calm, but I could see the tears forming in her eyes, and when she closed them, they cascaded down her face.

"Are—are you all right?" I wanted to know. I really did want to know, and as Dawn's stepsister, I felt that I had a right to know.

"Yes, I'm all right," Sharon answered, wiping her eyes with Dad's handkerchief. "We both are. It's just that—well, you know..."

"No, I'm afraid I don't," I admitted. I was still a little confused. If they were all right with Dawn's bisexuality and her relationship with Sunny, then why was Sharon crying?

"We're just concerned with Dawn's welfare, that's all," Dad explained. "You see, both of us have friends who are either gay or bisexual, and they've told us how they've been treated by other people. Some of them had even been avoided or discriminated against by members of their own families. And believe me, Sharon and I love Dawn just the same, but the thought of her and Sunny enduring this sort of treatment from others really scares us."

Logan nodded. "I know what you mean," he said. "I felt the same way when I found out my brother was gay. Even now, I worry about his safety and how the other kids at school treat him. The one thing that scares me the most is the thought of him getting beat up, or worse, because of it."

I looked away, fighting the tears that were gnawing at my throat. The thought of a sweet, gentle kid like Hunter Bruno being the victim of a mugging, beating, or God knows what else, really terrified me. I could only imagine how awful it must be for Logan.

"Are you sure you're all right?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

Dad nodded. "Even though we're concerned about Dawn and Sunny, we won't treat them any differently," he said.

I was glad to hear this. Yes, this was something that we'd have to deal with, and yes, it was going to be hard. Dawn was still family, though. We loved her, and she loved us, and that should hopefully lighten the burden a little.


	16. Chapter 15: Kristy

**CHAPTER 15: Kristy**

The next morning, Jason and I loaded up our truck and prepared to go home. "Do you know what time Karen will be coming home?" I asked.

"Watson's just leaving now," Mom said, pouring us some coffee. "If you'd like, you can stay until they get back."

"Sure," Jason said, taking the cups from her, and handing one to me. I'm glad it was decaf, because the regular kind might hurt the baby. (I'd also read a week-by-week pregnancy book, and since I was now in my tenth week, the baby would be about the size of a plum.) That, and also because that's all Watson will drink after his heart attack.

We sat on the porch with our coffee and cinnamon-swirl bagels, and as I stared on my coffee, Jason took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Normally, I think smoking is one of the most disgusting habits in the world, but fortunately, Jason only smokes ginseng cigarettes, which don't contain any tobacco or nicotine. None of us smoke. Mal and I, because of our pregnancies; Dawn, because she's a health nut; Abby, because of her asthma and allergies; Jessi, because she's a dancer; and Mary Anne and Logan, because like Dawn, Mal, and me, they think it's ugly and unhealthy. The only ones who do smoke are Jason and Claudia. Furthermore, Jason very seldom smokes, and he recently promised me that after the baby was born, he'd try to cut down.

"It's been quite a week, yes?" Jason asked, blowing a smoke ring into the air.

"I'll say," I agreed, finishing my coffee. "I'm just glad that Karen doesn't need glasses anymore, except for reading."

Jason nodded and took another puff on his cigarette. "And I'm gald she's coming home today."

"Me, too," I said.

A few minutes later, we saw the green station wagon—which had been Mom's car since before she married Watson—coming up the street. And considering how long she's had it, it's actually in pretty good shape. Jason took one last puff on his cigarette and put it out. He doesn't want Karen or any of my other siblings to see him smoke.

The car pulled into the driveway a minute later, and Watson and Karen got up. Just as I expected, Karen ran up and gave each of us a hug. She still had the bandage on her nose and finger, and most of her scabs were going away, but other than that, she looked much better. "Hi, Karen," Jason said.

"Hi," she said. Just then, David Michael, Andrew, and Emily came out of the house and there was even more hugging.

"Where are your glasses, Karen?" Emily asked.

"Don't need them anymore, except for reading," Karen answered.

"So, can I still call you Professor?" David Michael asked. We laughed, mostly because we were so glad that the whole ordeal was over.

"You want to hear something funny, Karen?" I asked.

"What?"

"When you woke up from surgery, you were calling for Louie."

You see, when Karen came out of the coma, we learned that the accident had damaged her retinas, causing blindness. She had eye surgery a couple of days ago, and the doctor removed the bandages yesterday. That was when we found out that Karen would only need her reading glasses from now on. It's funny, the surgery was able to correct her distance vision, but nothing else. Also, in case you're wondering, Louie was our old collie that had to be put down soon after I started eighth grade.

"I was? I must have been dreaming," she said.

"Don't feel too bad, Karen," Jason said, patting her arm. "Remember when I had my appendix out during the trip to Washington, and what Bebe said I did?" Then he started singing, in the slurriest voice possible, _"Good morning, starshine. The Earth says hello..."_

Karen's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah, that was _so _hilarious!"

"Remember when I had mine out, and what I'm told I said?" I reminded her. Then, in _my _slurriest voice, I said, "This meeting of the Baby-sitters Club is now in session..."

We all got a good laugh. David Michael had told that story during our trip to Washington with the Stoneybrook Kids. I once told him that if he ever told anyone, I'd personally beat the living crap out of him, but considering the fact that he only told Jason, Bebe, and the Stoneybrook Kids, I couldn't go through with my threat.

Soon after that, we went inside for lunch. Mom served us sandwiches—bologna, ham and cheese, and peanut butter, some with jelly, some without—baked beans, and chips. We also had soda, milk, iced tea, or water to drink. I chose milk, because at this stage of my pregnancy, it was the only drink may stomach could handle.

After lunch, Jason said, "Well, time to leave." After we hugged everybody, we got in our truck and started on our way.

When we got to the apartment complex, we saw Jason's family in the front yard. We got out of the truck, and walked over to them. "Well, we're heading back to Hartford now, Mum," Jason said.

"Before you leave, I have something to show you," Bebe said, holding out her left hand. On her ring finger was a white-gold ring with a pear-shaped diamond. It had to be an engagement ring.

"Who's the lucky guy? Do we know him?" I asked.

"I think you do," she smiled. "Byron Pike."

"Wow," I said. I couldn't wait to tell Mal.

"Well, we can't stay long. We need to get home," Jason said at last.

"Okay," Diann said. "See you later." She gave each of us a hug. We got back in our truck and were off.

As we headed back to Hartford, "Piano Man" by Billy Joel was playing on the radio. I remembered hearing it in my college dorm one Saturday morning, and it happened to be the first song I heard when the alarm went off. I'm told that it's a good song to wake up to.

Jason and I arrived home about an hour and a half later. When we got inside, I laid down and took a nap while Jason sorted and started a load of our dirty laundry.

It had been an interesting trip, but I was just glad to get home.


	17. Chapter 16: Jessi

**CHAPTER 16: Jessi**

It was a warm evening in early July. Manette and I arrived at the stage door of the Martin Beck Theatre, which is off-Broadway, to get ready for our show. You see, we'd been rehearsing for this '80s revue since early May, and tonight was opening night. I hadn't been this excited since I got the lead in _Coppélia._

After everybody signed in, Manette and I changed into our costumes and did our stretching exercises. "All set?" I asked him.

He nodded. That's when I noticed the ring on his right middle finger.

"Hey, isn't that the ring you wore when we were in Washington?" I asked.

He nodded. "I always wear it when I perform. For luck." And he kissed the ruby right in the middle.

"We'll be great," I assured him, and just to be sure, I kissed the diamond in my engagement ring. Then we shared a pretty big smooch. (Yeah, yeah, I know: "Get a room!" or "I'm telling!" Take your pick.) After we finished stretching, we put our make-up on and gave those who needed it a hand with theirs.

A few minutes later, Jean-Luc, our director, and the nephew of Mme. Noelle, my former ballet teacher in Stamford, called us into the practice room. "Well, _mademoiselles et monsieurs, _this is it," he told us, with a huge grin on his face. "You all worked _tres _hard over the past two months, and have done a remarkable job in showing up for rehearsals, or calling in when you were sick or on vacation. I just wanted to tell you all _zat_ I am proud of each and every one of you, and I wish you _ze _very best of luck out there. _C'est tout."_

"Break a leg," Manette whispered.

"You, too." The two of us squeezed hands, then went off to join the other dancers. Our show was about to begin.

The show was a blast. Some of the songs we danced to were "Far From Over" by Frank Stallone, which happens to be the theme song from _Staying Alive, _as well as our opening number, the _Footloose _theme, and "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie. All our hard work had paid off, and we had a sensational show to prove it.

After the show, we went backstage to wait for the audience. I saw the Everetts, the Thomases, and the Brunos. "Hey, you guys!" I said. We ran up to them, and all of us went hug-wild.

"Hi, Jessi. Great show," Mary Anne said.

"Thanks."

"How much longer does it run?" Jason wanted to know.

"About two weeks, then I get a break, and have auditions for _The Nutcracker _in September."

"Really?" Logan asked.

I nodded. "Last year was our first year to do it. I was a snowflake, and Manette was one of the dolls in the party scene. This year, we're auditioning for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier."

"Wow, really?" Kristy asked.

I nodded. "I'll keep you updated."

"I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks, Kristy. I'm just hoping there's not another blizzard during either rehearsals or the run of that show."

"Yeah, really," Kristy agreed. "And just between the two of us, Jessi, I would've much rather been stuck in Stamford than at home with Bart spending the night."

I smiled, and tried my hardest not to laugh. You see, Bart Taylor had been Kristy's boyfriend when she was in eighth grade, and they coached opposing softball teams. Kristy was the coach of Kristy's Krushers, and Bart was the coach of Bart's Bashers. One night, Bart had been invited over to Kristy's for dinner and a movie, and just when he was getting ready to leave, the storm _really _hit. And I mean, hit so hard that he couldn't even open the front door. Well, Kristy's mom and Watson weren't about to let him go out in that kind of weather, so they suggested he spend the night. To this day, Kristy says that's one experience she still wishes she could erase from her mind.

"Well, Kristy, at least David Michael isn't here to sing his 'Bart, Bart, bo Bart' song," I pointed out. For a minute, I thought Kristy was going to bite my head off for mentioning that, but she just laughed, which surprisingly, got the rest of us going.

"Good show," Sam said when he and Stacey had their turn to talk to us.

"Yeah," Logan agreed.

"Thanks, you guys," I said. Then, turning to Stacey, I said, "Hey, the last time I talked to you, you said that you'd been approved for adoption. Have you heard anything about getting a baby yet?"

"Not yet," Stacey answered.

"So, Kristy, how are you feeling?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I'm doing all right," she answered. "My morning sickness and emotional yo-yo have started to clear up a little, and my food cravings aren't as demented as I thought they'd be. I've mostly eaten peanut butter, bacon, and banana sandwiches."

"Oh, my God, that's gross!" Mary Anne exclaimed.

"Well, that was Elvis' favorite kind of sandwich," Manette pointed out. "I mean, without the bacon."

"Well, I guess that when you're expecting, or as doped up as he was, you don't give a shit what you eat," I commented. I'm not too sure, but I think I saw Mary Anne roll her eyes and shake her head disapprovingly. She's not too keen on hearing people swear.

"Oh, by the way," Kristy said, changing the subject again, "have you two set a wedding date yet?"

"Soon," Manete answered. "We don't know yet, but we know it'll be next year, probably around Valentine's Day."

"Okay," Jason said. "You'll let us know, right, Jessi?"

I nodded.

"Oh, we're staying at Sam and Stacey's tonight, and heading back in the morning," Kristy said.

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan," I said. "'Night."

After everyone had left, Manette and I changed out of our costumes and washed our make-up off. "Let's go to McDonald's," Manette suggested.

I smiled, because I knew which McDonald's he was talking about. It was the same one where he'd proposed to me.

As we got in the truck, I thought, _Tonight was really our night._


	18. Chapter 17: Logan

**CHAPTER 17: Logan**

It was the last week of July, and I was coming home from the high school on Thursday afternoon. I'd been holding football team tryouts. Several good players had tried out, and I felt confident that we'd not only have a good team this year, but that they'd finally make it to the championships, which is something, I'm told, that they haven't been able to do in fifteen years.

When I parked the Jeep in the garage and went into the house, I saw Mary Anne was waiting for me, and already prepared dinner. "Hi," I said, giving her a kiss.

"Hi," she answered. "Oh, I went to the doctor today, and he gave me some good news."

"What?" I asked as I got the milk out of the fridge and two glasses out of the cupboard. We have really cool glasses, by the way. They're rectangular-shaped with deep red rims and gold stars on the sides, and they were a wedding gift from my parents.

"Well, I think dinner speaks for itself," she answered, smiling that beautiful smile of hers.

I studied the food for a moment. There were baby carrots, baby shrimp, baby corn, and baby pork chops. She'd even set out two jars of baby food, which contained applesauce. "Let's see," I said. "Baby foods. Well, that could only mean one thing, and I know about a hundred times better than that Jesse guy on _Full House. _You're pregnant, right?" (By the way, _Full House _was always the one show couldn't stand. I once told some of my friends that just watching five minutes of it was guaranteed to make your IQ drop about 25 points. Or was that _Family Matters_? No, that was the one I'd described as the Chinese water torture, the rack, and the Spanish Inquistion all rolled into one.)

She nodded, and her smile got even bigger. "And I didn't have to resort to playing Pictionary to get you to figure it out," she said.

I laughed and hugged her. We were just over the moon. Imagine us as parents! If there was one thing we were sure of, it's that our lives were about to be changed forever.

The next morning, I was pulling out of the McDonald's drive-thru with my breakfast burrito and coffee, and was on my way to the high school.

Today was the last day of football team tryouts, which meant that I'd have to decide which guys to choose for the season. This was my second year to do this, and I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, because I knew I'd have to be careful in making the decisions, In fact, I still remember whne I tried out for the varsity team at SHS my freshman year, and how nervous I was on the last day, so I knew exactly how these guys would be feeling.

_"If this is it, please let me know-ow; if this ain't love, you better let me go-o," _I sang along with the radio as I pulled into the parking lot. After I turned off the ignition, I took a moment to say a silent prayer before I got out of the Jeep. As I got out, I saw this one really big kid, Mitch, chaining up his bike. He was one of the guys I was definitely considering for the team, a real ox of a kid. If he ever got in a barfight, I'd bet he'd be the last one standing.

"Hey, Coach!" he called.

"Hi, Mitch," I answered, throwing my trash in a nearby trash can. "How's it going?"

"Oh, pretty good," he said. "Oh, you've got to come to the locker room right away. We've got a little surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"Just come with me," he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside. See what I mean when I said that I was sure of putting him on the team?

Anyway, when we got to the locker room, you should've seen the look on my face. Right there, on the wall, was a big drawing of stork, in the school uniform, and in its beak was a blue blanket with a football wearing a pink baby's bonnet in it. Beside the drawing, in the school colors, were the words, "CONGRATS, DADDY BRUNO!"

"Oh, my God!" I exclaimed. "How did you know?"

"My girlfriend told us," this one kid named Aaron said. "Her mom knows your wife, and last night, all the cheerleaders got together and worked on this.

"Wow," I marveled. "Thanks!"

"No problem," Mitch said. "Daddy!"

As we laughed, I had a feeling that choosing the roster for this year's team wouldn't be so bad after all.


	19. Chapter 18: Stacey

**CHAPTER 18: Stacey**

On Saturday morning, Sam and I got the call that we'd waited six weeks for. Our child was coming to us, all the way from Sweden. We were getting a boy, and he's two months old.

"Now, Mrs. Thomas," the lady on the phone was saying, "I need to inform you that your child has Down's syndrome. We've done some tests, though, and other than that, he seems to be perfectly healthly. Hopefully, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"That's good," I said. "When should we expect him?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I'll be bringing him from Stockholm them. I'm there now, as a matter of fact, and we'll be flying into LaGuardia Airport then."

"Thank you," I said, and hung up the phone. Sam came into the living room just then. "Ms. Reynolds just called. She's bringing our son from Sweden tomorrow."

"That's great," he said, giving me a hug. We were so happy with the prospect of being parents.

The next day after breakfast, we headed to the airport. During the ride, we talked excitedly about our new son. "What do you think we should call him?" I asked.

"Sven," he answered. Sven, by the way, is the name of one of the characters in James Cameron's _Titanic._

The plane touched down at noon, nad within minutes, we saw Ms. Reynolds coming into the terminal with a baby in her arms, her purse over her left shoulder, and a diaper bag over her right shoulder.

"Well, here he is," she said. Sam took the baby, and I took the diaper bag, from her.

"We got the baby supplies as soon as you called to tell us we'd been approved," I said.

"Good, good. Well, see you later."

We stared down at the little baby. He had some hair, but not a lot, which was dark blonde, like mine, as well as the round face and slanted eyes—which were bluish-green—that are primarily associated with Down's syndrome. Other than that, he was beautiful. We just couldn't believe that he was ours. Then we turned around and headed out of the airport with our new son. Our lives as parents had officially begun.

Sam and I arrived home with the baby later that day. "Well, here we are, little buddy," Sam grinned. "Home sweet home." We were so happy to have him with us.

When we came into the house, I saw the little red light blinking on the answering machine, and pressed the button. "Hi, it's Laine. Look, Stacey, I've been meaning to call you for a long time. If you're not too busy, do you think it would be possible for the two of us to get together sometime? I'd really like to see you. Please call me at 555-5801. Thanks, 'bye."

After the beep, I just stood there for a moment, wondering what to do. After all, this was Laine Cummings, the same girl who, when we were in sixth grade, had turned everyone at Parker Academy against me after I'd wet the bed we'd been sharing at Deidre Dunlop's slumber party, which was the tipoff to my diabetes diagnosis. Then she came to Stoneybrook for a visit when we were in eighth grade, and was unbelieveably rude to my friends at the Valentine's Day dance. On the other hand, after her own ordeal, maybe she was serious about wanting to see me.

"Stacey?" Sam's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Are you all right, honey?"

"Yeah," I said. "You know, Sven might be a little tired after such a long day, so why don't you put him down for a nap?"

Sam nodded, and carried the baby into the nursery as I picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Laine's voice answered on the third ring.

"Hi, Laine. It's Stacey." Don't _call me Anastasia, _I thought. "I got your message."

"Oh, hi, Stacey. Are you busy?"

"Well, Sam and I just got home with our new baby."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Laine exclaimed. "But—I thought you said that you couldn't have children."

"We adopted," I explained. "He's from Sweden, his name's Sven, and he's two months old."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Laine said. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks," I said. The next thing I heard was the sound of a pill bottle opening and a drink of water being taken. "Laine?" What was going on?

"It's time for my medicine," she told me. You see, ever since Laine's accident, she's been having horrible headaches, and has to take pain pills at least once a day.

After she swallowed the pills, I asked, "So, what did you mean when you said that you'd been meaning to call me?"

"Well," Laine said, clearing her throat. "I just wanted to say thank you for being there for me."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hm. You know, with all I've been through over the past few years, I really had time to think about things, mostly about what happened between us, both at Deidre's slumber party, and when I visited you in Stoneybrook. I also had a chance to think about the way I'd acted toward you, and my attitude, that sort of thing." There was a pause, then Laine continued, "You know, Stacey, I really had a chance to look at everything with a clear head, and from your point of view, too. I realized just how wrong I was. In fact, you know that letter you sent me after I returned to New York?"

The letter! I'd barely remembered writing it, until she brought it up! All those old memories came flooding back: Laine's visit to Stoneybrook and SMS, her blowing off Pete Black to dance with another guy, as well as being a total bitch to everyone else, and the fight we'd had. As I watched her get on the train to go back to New York, I was sure that our friendship was over. And here she was, reminding me of a letter I'd sent her all those years ago.

"Yes?" I managed to squeak out.

"Well, I still have it," she told me. "I never threw it away. It's in a shoebox in the top of my closet. You know, Stacey, when you sent me that letter, you really showed me just what the hell I was doing, and for the longest time, I've been meaning to call you and apologize, but I wasn't able to go through with it. I was just too ashamed, and too afraid of what you might have said."

"I understand," I said as tears filled my eyes. "I've been wanting to tell you the same thing myself. And I..." The tears slid down my face as I tried my hardest not to start crying. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your accident, the way you feel, everything."

"And I'm sorry, too, Stacey, for shutting you out, and for turning everyone at school against you, and for the way I'd acted when I was in Stoneybrook," Laine said, her voice breaking. "I never meant to embarrass you, or say all those mean things about your baby-sitting club. I was just afraid I was losing you as a friend."

"Oh, you'll never lose me," I aid. And the minute I said those words, the floodgates opened, and both of us were crying. It was such a catharsis, letting go of all those bad memories that had divided us in the past.

"And you'll never lose me, either," Laine sniffled. "We'll always be friends."

"Thank you," I whispered, grabbing a tissue and wiping my eyes. "So, is Friday afternoon a possibility."

"I suppose," Laine agreed. "Let me talk to my provider, and I'll get back to you, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. "Talk to you later."

After we hung up, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I hadn't felt this good since my parents stopped dragging me from doctor to doctor, looking for a miracle cure for my diabetes. What they didn't realize was that there was no cure, just ways to treat it. Anyway, when my parents were preparing to drag me to this one doctor, and after I'd enlisted Dr. Johanssen's help with an intervention, and asked her to make a recommendation, the three of us decided that I should not only have more input with my treatments, and we decided I didn't have to see this doctor, if that's what he truly was, again. That was when Laine and I made up after the fight we'd had since my diagnosis. As I sat on the couch and hugged a pillow to my chest, I thought about the events of the day. Sam and I had become parents, and Laine and I had officially buried the hatchet. For a moment, all was right with the world.


	20. Chapter 19: Dawn

**CHAPTER 19: Dawn**

We were in the living room playing Yahtzee one afternoon in early August when the phone rang. "I'll get it," I said. Sunny followed me, because she was going to start dinner.

It was a woman from Children's Services. "We've got a child that we'd like for you to take in," she said.

"Really? That's great!" I said. We'd been interested in foster parenting for a long time, and had taken the classes two summers ago. Ever since then, we'd been wondering when a child would be placed with us.

"First of all, I think you should be made aware that this child came from a home where she was physically abused," the woman said.

"Oh, no," I said. "How is she doing?"

"Well, she's doing all right, for the most part," the woman answered. "However, she's still going to need special care."

"All right," I said. "We'll do our best."

"Great. I'll be bringing her over tomorrow afternoon. 'Bye."

"'Bye. See you then."

When we hung up, I found Sunny standing over the stove, preparing dinner. "Who was on the phone?" she asked.

"Children's Services," I answered as I got the spices out of the cabinet. "They've got a little girl who came from an abusive home that they'd like for us to take in."

"That's good," Sunny said. "How is she?"

"Well, right now, she's doing okay," I said, handing Sunny the lemon salt. "But with her previous situation, she's still going to need special help."

"I'll bet you're glad they thought of us, huh?"

I nodded, and gave Sunny a kiss. I couldn't wait to meet this little girl, and I knew we'd just love her.

The next afternoon, the doorbell rang. Sunny was putting on some clean clothes (I told you she likes to run around naked), so I went to answer it.

There stood a woman with graying hair, and she was wearing a teal business suit and carrying a tan leather briefcase. "I'm Mrs. Evans from Children's Services," she said. "We spoke on the phone yesterday.

"Hi," I said, shaking her hand. "Come on in."

Mrs. Evans let herself into the apartment. Behind her was a little girl who looked about five or six years old. She had long jet-black hair, almost as long as mine, deep tan skin, and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a white Mexican sundress and sandals. "This is Tina," Mrs. Evans said.

"Hi, Tina," I said. "Nice to meet you." I held out my hand to shake hers, but she shrank back and clung to Mrs. Evans' skirt. Her eyes were filled with uneasiness. Apparently, she was still a little shell-shocked from all that she must have been through. "It's okay. I'm not going to bite you."

Tina looked anxiously at Mrs. Evans, who said reassuringly, "It's all right, Tina. She's just saying hello."

Tina looked back at me, then very tentatively took my hand. _"Hola," _she said in a tiny voice with a really thick Mexican accent.

At that moment, Sunny came back intot he living room. "Hi," she said.

"This is Tina," I told her, putting my hand on the little girl's shoulder.

"Hi, Tina," Sunny said. "You're just going to love it here."

"Thanks," Tina whispered.

"Here, let me take your bag," I said. I took her suitcase into the spare bedroom, then returned to

the living room

"Now, Tina came from an abusive home, so she may be a little scared to be around especially if she doesn't know them," I heard Mrs. Evans explain. "So, it would be best if you gave her time to adjust, and let her approach the two of you when it comes to giving her hugs and that sort of thing."

"I understand," I said. Even though I was no longer living in Stoneybrook at the time, I still remembered when Claud told me about baby-sitting for the Nicholls', who moved into the Addisons old house. According to Claud, Mr. Nicholls was very uptight and obsessively neat and tidy, basically making my stepfather look like a total slob. I'm told that he'd get upset whenever the slightest little thing was out of place. Once, Claud told us that she heard Mr. Nicholls hit one of the boys for, of all things, his newspaper being in the recycling bin. She told our friend Erica Blumberg, and made sure that Mrs. Nicholls and the boys, Nate and Joey got the hell out of the house. The last I'd heard, Mrs. Nicholls took the boys and went to live with her sister. I've wondered about them since then.

After Mrs. Evans left, Sunny and I were standing there with this little girl, looking around the apartment and at us. I had the feeling that she was a little scared of being left alone in a strange place, but I also couldn't help wondering what she thought of both of her foster parents being women.

"So, Tina," I finally said. "What would you like to do first?"

I almost expected her to say that one bit from _Annie, _because it not only would've broken the ice, but it also would've gotten some laughs. Instead, she just shrugged.

"Would you like something to drink?" Sunny asked.

"Sure," Tina answered. She also noticed that Sunny and I were barefoot, and gave us a puzzled look. Then she kicked off her sandals. I guess she knew that we did own shoes, but just didn't wear them very often.

That was when we first noticed her feet. The tops of them were a mess of scabs and bruises, and on her right ankle was a small scar, about the size of a pencil eraser. That could only mean one thing: a cigarette burn. Sunny and I have always thought that cigarettes were disgusting, but seeing this sweet, innocent child with that burn mark on her poor foot made me hate them even more.

"Okay," I said, trying to hide how repulsed and infuriated I was to see this. "This way, please." And we led her into the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, Tina said, "Ohh, that's cold."

"Hmm?" I asked.

"Your floor," she answered.

I could tell Sunny was also a little surprised to hear this. "You mean you never went barefoot before?" she asked, kneeling down to Tina's level.

Tina shook her head. "At my old house, the floor was too dirty, and you could get sick," she answered.

A shiver went up my spine. I tried not to imagine what it must have been like to not only live in an abusive home, but also a filthy one.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that here," Sunny smiled. "These floors are so clean that you could almost eat off them. But don't try it, because it's really gross."

"I won't," Tina giggled. I giggled, too. I was glad to see that with all the hell this little girl must have endured, she could still laugh, let alone smile.

I opened the fridge, and got out a bottle of organic ginger ale. After I poured each of us a glass, Tina took a sip of it, and a huge grin spread across her face. "Wow, this is really good!" she said.

"Glad you like it," I grinned. "And best of all, it doesn't have any sugar, preservatives, or any of that other crap, like the regular kind."

We took our drinks into the living room and set them on the coffee table. That's when Tina's eye wandered over to the mantle. "Is that you?"she asked, pointing to a picture on the far left.

Sunny went to get it, and sat down on the futon. "Yup, that's us, all right," she said, patting the seat beside her. Tina went over and sat down.

"Why are you wearing those funny clothes?"

"Those are our costumes, honey," I explained. "You see, this picture was taken during our college production of _Godspell."_

_ "Godspell _Tina said excitedly. "My uncle was in that one!"

"Really?" Sunny asked.

Tina nodded. "He was Jesus. He had the Superman T-shirt and everything!"

"So did our Jesus!" I smiled.

"What's that song they sing?" Tina asked.

"'Day By Day'?" Sunny guessed.

"Yeah, that's the one!" Tina said, then she started singing, _"Day by da-a-ay, day by da-a-ay, oh, dear Lord..._Umm, wait how's it go?"

_"Oh, dear Lord, three things I pra-a-ay," _I prompted her.

"Yeah, that's it!" Then Sunny joined her. _"To see Thee more clearly-y, love Thee more dearly-y..."_

_ "Follow Thee more nearlyy, day by da-a-ay..." _we all sang. Sunny and I both knew that we'd love having Tina live with us.


	21. Chapter 20: Shannon

**CHAPTER 20: Shannon**

It was October 29th, which was the day before the wedding. We had the rehearsal dinner at Chez-Maurice, and some of us were enjoying this French film called _With A Friend Like Harry _as it played on the TV in the background.

After I'd finished eating, I presented the gifts to my attendants: Tiffany, Maria, Dru, Karen, and Marissa. I gave each of them a necklace. Bart gave his older attendants (his cousin, Peter, as well as all three of Kristy's brothers) each a watch, and the ring bearer, my cousin, Liam, a tie.

A few minutes later, I went to the restroom. When I came out, I saw Bart. "Look, Shannon, I promise not to go sky-diving tomorrow," he said.

I laughed, then said in a loud voice, "Help! Help! I'm coming, Shannon! Don't marry—well, I'll think of hs name later!" Bart got a good laugh, too.

When we calmed down, I said, "Okay, but if you do, don't forget your mousse, and watch out for trees and tomato trucks."

"I'll be careful," Bart promised, laughing.

Tomorrow is going to be the most beautiful day in the world.

The next morning, I woke to the sound of my alarm clock, not to mention Billy Idol's "White Wedding" blaring from my radio. I sat up and looked at my wedding dress, and also remembered a similar scene when the 1981 episode of _I Love the '80s _taled about the Luke and Laura wedding episode of _General Hospital. _Mom says that my grandparents were really shocked when they saw it, because according to them, Luke had raped Laura in a previous episode. And I still remember what my Aunt Yvonne said when we talked about that episode recently: "Only on a soap opera."

_"Nice day for a white weddin'," _Billy snarled to the music.

"I'm with you, Bill," I agreed. "I'm with you." And isn't it ironic that a song that's supposedly anti-marriage is played at a lot of weddings nowadays?

After I took my shower and pill, I put on my yellow sweatshirt and jeans, then went into the kitchen. Mom was fixing breakfast: eggs Benedict, one of my all-time favorites, ham, marble-rye toast, and coffee.

"So, are you ready for your big day?" Mom asked, handing me a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I'm a nervous wreck, but I think I can handle it," I answered.

"I know you will," Mom said reassuringly. "If I was able to survive mine, I know you'll do the same."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, taking a bite of eggs. "Well, for once, my shoulder isn't acting up, so that must be a good sign."

I finished breakfast, and Tiffany fixed my hair. Then I put my going-away outfit in my gym bag (a white long-sleeved shirt with a picture of a Bernese mountain dog on it, jeans, and socks), hung my dress on the hook in the backseat of my car, put my bag on the seat, set the plastic bag with my pantyhose and high-heeled clear pumps on top of it, and headed for the church.

When I arrived at the church, I saw Karen and Dru arriving with their dresses. I had asked them to wear pale yellow, even though it was late October, and got flowers to match. Kristy once told me that when her mom married Watson, that's what she and Karen wore.

Soon after we arrived, we saw Reverend Downey and his wife. He's going to retire in June, so our wedding would be one of his last, unless you count Byron Pike and Bebe Everett's, which was next month. Mom and my sisters took me into the church office and helped me change clothes, and Maria did my make-up, as Mariss arrived. Mom handed out the bouquets of flowers to my attendants, and gave Marissa her basket to carry.

Soon, everything got underway. Before the ceremony, there was the music. One song in particular that I sort of remember is Bart's brother singing "Truly" by Lionel Richie while Mom and Mrs. Taylor were being escorted to their seats by Sam and Charlie. Kyle has such a powerful voice for a sixteen-year-old, and the song was just beautiful.

After Kyle finished singing, and the applause had died down, it was time for my attendants to walk down the aisle. Karen went first, then Dru, then Maria, then Tiffany, and finally Marissa. As soon as Marissa was halfway down the aisle, she turned around and tried to pick up the petals, but I heard her mother say, "It's okay, honey. You're supposed to drop them."

Then it was time for Dad to walk me down the aisle. As we started walking past the pews, I looked out of the corner of my eye, and saw a tear rolling down Dad's face. I wouldn't have expected to see him cry until it was Maria's turn to get married. "It's okay, Dad," I whispered.

"I know," he whispered back. Just then, I saw Mary Anne pull a tissue out of her purse and dab at her eyes. I thought for sure that she was going to get me started, and that's the last thing I wanted to happen. I'm still impressed at how I was able to hold it together. And besides, Maria had put the navy-blue eyeliner on me, and if I'd cried, it would've taken forever to clean the mess off my face and dress sleeve, which wouldn't have made Maria too happy.

Rev. Downey started with the "Dearly beloved" speech, but I couldn't help noticing that he was grimacing in pain every so often. You see, about a week ago, he got out of the hospital after a hernia operation. I'm also happy to announce that when it was time for the rings, it wasn't like _Ramona Forever, _if you know what I mean.

The reception was held at the Thomas-Brewer mansion. I thought Kristy and Mary Anne looked great, despite the fact that both of them were pregnant. Kristy was entering her third trimester, and Mary Anne was halfway through her second. By the way, Kyle's probably going to bite my head off for saying this, but throughout the entire reception, all the teenage girls were crawling all over him, and gushing over what a great voice he had.

We had egg-salad sandwiches, chicken cordon bleu, and Caesar salad. The cake top was really neat, and looked just like us dancing. Aunt Yvonne had made the cake, and found the cake top at the bakery department of the grocery store. Apparently, the top managed to stay in one piece, because Mom never received a call saying that we needed to get a new one because the groom's head had fallen off the cake top. After the guests took pictures of us cutting the cake, I surprised Bart by smearing a big chunk of it all over his face, making him look like the Joker with a hangover.

After we cut the cake, we opened the presents. I think our favorite was the rotisserie that Jason and Kristy had given us. We also received savings bonds from Bart's parents, and they told us that those were to be used for emergencies only. My parents gave us a set of wine goblets with the long stems, and they had sets of lines—red, white, and blue—running across them. They looked so pretty when the light hit them.

After we finished opening the presents, we danced to "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker, which was our first dance as husband and wife. When we danced with our parents (I danced with Dad, and Bart danced with his mom), we danced to "Angel Eyes" by Jeff Healey. Also, while Bart and I were dancing, I think I saw Liam lip-sync and pretend to play the piano, just like Joe always did. I'm still amazed at how well I was able to keep my composure, and it wouldn't surprise me if someone suggested sending that to _America's Funniest Home Videos._

Next came the bouquet and garter toss. The bouquet landed at Tiffany's feet, Karen was just inches away from it, and I thought for sure that they were going to turn this into a live performance of _Dynasty, _complete with the very elegant, but extremely pissed-off, grunts and screams. To this day, not only am I thankful that didn't happen, but also, nobody suggested building a mud pit.

When Bart tossed the garter, it landed at Peter's feet, and he picked it up.

Today was the best day of my life.


	22. Chapter 21: Claudia

**CHAPTER 21: Claudia**

I returned to Chicago on Halloween afternoon afternoon. My first art show was scheduled to open the next night, November first. It would run through the months of November and December. I also remembered when Rosie Wilder and I had that art show in Mom and Dad's garage. The only difference between that one and this was that there was not only more artwork, but also actual refreshments.

After dinner, which was take-out from the local Japanese restaurant, I opened the fridge. There, next to the milk, was my absolute-favorite dessert: custard pie. I cut myself a slice, poured myself a glass of milk, and took my snack into the living room. After I set them down on the coffee table, I looked toward the mantle at the portrait of Mimi that I'd painted when I was twelve. Sure, it was a little faded and yellowed, but it still looked as great as it did when it was first painted.

"Hi, Mimi," I said, picking up the pack of Virginia Superslims that were beside the portrait. "Sorry about the cigarettes. It's just that I'm a little nervous about tomorrow night. After all, it's my first real art show. And, I mean, _formal _art show. A lot of big-shot critics, professors, and artists will be there. I guess I really picked the wrong week to quit smoking, huh?

"Oh, Kristy and Jason are doing all right. They'll be having their first baby in a couple of months, and Mary Anne and Logan's baby is due a few weeks after that. I can't wait for them to meet Mallory and Ben's twins! I just wish I could've been there for Mal when she was having them. She told me that after they were born, she was out cold for almost 24 hours. At least she didn't have to see the doctor sitting there like Johnny Bench!

"Well, wish us luck tomorrow night, Mimi. I never would've done any of this without any of your suppor and your believing in me...I love you."

As I sat down on the futon and lit my cigarette, I smiled up at the portrait. I knew Mimi's spirit would always be with me.

When I arrived at the Chicago Art Museum, I saw Ashley Wyeth, my friend since eighth grade—and no relation to the artist, Andrew Wyeth, by the way. Ashley understood me as an artist, and tried to get me to quit baby-sitting, and the BSC, to focus on art. Now, she lives across the hall from me in our apartment building, and is an artist, too. She works full-time, and I work part-time during the school year and part-time the rest of the time. "Hi, Ashley!" I called.

"Hi, Claudia. Are you ready for our art show?"

"Yup."

We walked up the steps to the museum entrance, and standing there, near one of the columns, were Shannon and Bart. They were taking their honeymoon in Chicago, and must have decided to stop and see the artwork. "Hi, you guys!" I called.

"Hi, Claud," Shannon said as they came over.

"How's it going?" I asked as we finished hugging.

"Great," Bart said. "How do you think the show's going to do?"

"Well, the doors will be opening in about half an hour, but I'm sure people will like it," I answered. "You know, you're the first ones here."

"Really?" Bart asked.

I nodded. "I can't wait for other people to see it. How do you like Chicago?"

"Great," Shannon said. "So far, we've been to the top of the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Building, we went to a Bulls game, and this morning, we went shopping on the Magnificent Mile. Tomorrow, we're going to the Medieval Times. We're leaving the day after that."

"Great. Well, I hope you enjoy the show," I said.

"I'm sure we will," Bart grinned. Then he turned around and pointed to a sculpture in the window. "Say, Shannon and I were just looking at this sculpture in the window."

"Oh, you mean the one made of rotini pasta?"

"Yeah," Shannon answered. "And it has a very clever title, too. 'Rotini Surprise'."

"Thanks," I grinned. "In case you're wondering, it's supposed to be that potted plant that Jackie Rodowsky knocked over when Stacey was baby-sitting for him the week after we came back from Australia. Remember?"

I guess I should explain something here. You see, during the summer we finished eighth grade, Unity Insurance, the company that Kristy's stepfather works for, had sent him to Sydney to open a branch of their office. The BSC had been invited to go, and we got to meet our Australian counterpart, a baby-sitting club called Baby-sitters, Inc., which was started by Kelly Hobart, the Hobarts' cousin. And yes, we still keep in touch with them.

Okay, back to our discussion. "Do I!" Shannon laughed. "And all that dirt landed all over Stacey's brand-new white sandals, too! She told me about it the next day."

"I'm just guessing, but Stacey's sandals never really looked white again, did they?" Bart asked.

I shook my head, still laughing. "And the moral of the story: never wear anything white while baby-sitting at the Rodowskys'."

"I'll keep that in mind," Shannon managed to gasp out between laughs.

After a while, I looked at my watch and said, "Well, I'd better get going. The doors will be opening soon, and I need to make sure everything is ready to go."

"Okay, Claud," Bart said. "Good to see you. Have a good show."

"Thanks."

A few minutes later, the doors opened, and everyone trickled inside. I just knew that my first real art show was going to be a success. As I watched people look at my artwork, as well as partake in the hors d'ouvres, champagne, and punch, I said a silent prayer, thanking Mimi again for always believing in me, and being there for me. I can quite honestly say that none of this would've been possible if it weren't for her, and I knew she was proud of me.


	23. Chapter 22: Abby

**CHAPTER 22: Abby**

It was breezy and overcast on the day before Veteran's Day, and I was getting some groceries out of my orange convertible when I saw Anna coming down the hall to her apartment, carrying her violin case. She was apparently coming home from orchestra practice, where they were rehearsing for next month's Christmas concert. "Hi, Abby," she called, waving to me.

"Hi, Anna," I answered. "Would you like to come in?"

"Sure," she said. I handed her a couple of bags, and we walked down the hall to our respective apartments. Anna lives around the corner from me, and we also happen to live in the same building where Jason's family lives. And yes, my apartment is completely dust-free, because I'd made sure to tell Jason's stepdad, Steve, who's the building superintendent, about my allergies. "I haven't really had a chance to talk to you since you got back from Israel. How was your trip?"

"It was great," I said. "In fact, I got some pictures developed last week, and I'd like to show them to you."

"Okay," Anna said as I set my bag of groceries on the floor, dug into my purse for my keys, and unlocked the door. The two of us went inside, and Anna set her violin case on the kitchen table just as I got a couple of peach wine coolers out of the fridge. In case you're wondering, neither of us are very big drinkers. When I do, I prefer either Zima, Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver, or Bartles & Jaymes. I wouldn't touch beer, wine, or anything like that with a ten-foot pole. I also have to be careful about how much I drink, and how often, because of my asthma and allergies. If I drink too much, I could get really sick. Anna, on the other hand, isn't picky about what she drinks, and like I said, she isn't a big drinker, either.

After I put the groceries away, I got the photo album down from the top shelf and sat next to Anna on the couch. "That's the hotel where we stayed," I said, opening the photo album and showing her the first picture. "In fact, right across the road from it is a church, and that church is supposedly built on the same location where the Nativity took place."

"Wow," Anna said.

As I flipped through the album, I showed her other pictures. The first one was of the famous "Wailing Wall"; and there was also one of Mom and me standing on the Mount of Olives, which was taken by one of the locals. In the picture, I'm doing the same pose that Roger Daltrey did on the cover of the _Tommy _album. There was another one of me making a silly face in my bed in our hotel room, as well as one of me standing about a hundred feet from where Golgotha (the "Place of the Skull") supposedly was. My two favorite ones were the one of the trees that were planted in the name of Adam Walsh, and one of what had supposedly been the entrance to the Garden of Eden. The sword that covered the entrance was still intact, and if you ask me, that would've made a great nudist resort, because after all, it was the first one. There was also a page of other sites: the entrance to what had been the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea with an inscription that read, "HE IS NOT HERE, FOR HE IS RISEN!" I had even taken a whole roll of film of the surrounding area.

"Wow, that's impressive," Anna commented.

"Thanks," I said. "Hey, remember when I said the place where the Garden of Eden was should be a nudist resort?"

"Yup," Anna answered. "And just for the record, you'd never catch me going to one of those places."

"Yeah, right!" I laughed. "Don't you remember how much you hated being dressed when we were three?"

"That I do, and I've long since outgrown those days."

After I took another drink, Anna said, "Oh, I have something to show you." She held out her left hand, and on her finger was a platinum ring with a pear-shaped diamond on it. It was obviously an engagement ring.

"Congratulations," I said as I picked up the empty bottles and put them in the recycling bin, which was hidden behind one of the cupboards. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"He's the conductor of the orchestra, and his name is Eli Weinberg," she answered.

"Have you set a wedding date yet?"

"We're touring the United Kingdom in the spring, and planning to get married as soon as we return," she told me.

"Really? That's fantastic," I said. "When is this tour, and how long will you be gone?"

"We're leaving on May first, and we'll be gone the entire month. We're touring, in this order: London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Dublin. Depending on our schedule, we may be able to do some sightseeing in between. _And _we've been invited to perform at—get this—_Buckingham Palace!"_

Both of us started bouncing up and down down on the couch and squealing like we were seven years old again. This was great!

After we'd calmed down, Anna said, "Oh, that reminds me. I'll have to go online and look up some travel information. To answer your question about the wedding date, though, Eli and I'll be married on July first."

"Have you told Mom the news yet?"

Anna nodded. "I told her over dinner last night. She's really happy for me, too."

"And so am I," I smiled. _"Mazeltov." _And the two of us hugged. "Oh, be sure to take plenty of pictures on your trip, especially a picture of one of those guards."

"Are you sure I won't get into trouble?"

"Anna, think about it," I said. "You could do the entire 'Springtime for Hitler' number for them, and they wouldn't even move a muscle. Hey, did I ever show you that picture of me, Kristy, Stacey, Mal, and Jessi with that one guard from the Tower of London?" I asked as I picked up the photo album and opened it to where we'd left off.

"Oh, you mean that one where you're all wearing your BSC T-shirts and making those faces?" Anna asked.

I nodded. "Kristy and I even gave that guard rabbit-ears. Poor guy."

"Do you still have it?"

I grinned and nodded as I turned to the next page.

As we looked at the picture and laughed ourselves sick, I was happy for my twin sister, and I knew Dad was happy for her, too.


	24. Chapter 23: Mallory

**CHAPTER 23: Mallory**

On the day before Thanksgiving, Ben, the twins, and I were flying to Hartford. We planned to stay for Thanksgiving, and Bebe and Byron's wedding, then go back the following Tuesday.

During the flight, I reflected on how much my siblings had grown over the past ten years. The triplets were now attending a technical college in Hartford, where they planned to be auto mechanics. Their plan was to have Adam and Jordan fix the cars, and have Byron pump the gas and run the cash register. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to open a garage together someday.

Vanessa attends NYU, where, like me, she's planning to be a high school English teacher. The only difference is, I teach Literature, and she'll be teaching College Prep, and write poetry in her spare time. When Vanessa was a kid, she would speak in rhyme constantly, and it drove us _nuts. _The only relief came when she was upset, then she wouldn't do it.

Nick also attends college in New York, where, strangely enough, he's planning to be a Presbyterian minister. He's planning to go to college for two more years, then he'll be attending a seminary in New York.

Margo attends Stoneybrook University, where—get this—she's planning to be an EMT. I was more than a little surprised to hear this, considering the fact that Margo had the world's weakest stomach, and constantly got sick when we were kids: carsick, airsick, you name it. She's currently training at the EMT-Basic level, which means she can do non-invasive procedures and other minor things. She may decide to work her way up as she gets older and more experienced.

Claire is now a junior at SHS, and she's a PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options) student, which means that she takes high school classes in the morning, and collge classes at Stoneybrook University in the afternoon.

Anyway, we arrived in Hartford, and Mom, Dad, and Vanessa met us at the airport. I thought for sure that the triplets would be there, since they also live in Hartford, but they weren't. I was also looking forward to the wedding, and I knew that everyone else was, too.

On Friday evening, while everyone was at the church and rehearsal dinner, Kristy, Jason, Ben, and I sat around and talked, almost as soon as we'd put the twins to bed. "So, how are you feeling, Kristy?" I asked.

"I'm doing all right. I just can't wait for the baby to be born," shwe answered. Jason put his arm around her, and laid his hand on her stomach.

"I know what you mean," I said as Ben reached for my hand and squeezed it.

I'd been in her position a few months ago. You see, Kristy had organized a BSC reunion for the weekend of the Stoneybrook High graduation. Obviously, I couldn't go, because I was expecting the twins at the time. I guess it was just as well, because on the SHS graduation day, I went into labor, had a C-section, passed out from blood loss, and didn't wake up for almost 24 hours. (Ben once told me that on his way home from the hospital that night, he was listening to the country music station on the radio, and happened to hear the song "Don't Take The Girl" by Tim McGraw, and he said it really hit home with him.) I'm just glad Ben didn't pass out during the actual procedure, because if he had, I would've told the nurse to take a Sharpie and write "WUSS" on his forehead.

Anyway, Kristy had set up her stepfather's WebCam for the occasion. At the time, she'd been in her second month. Now, she's in her eighth month, just like I'd been at the time, and had to get special permission from her doctor to travel. Luckily, if anything goes wrong, she only lives an hour and a half away. Anyway, during the reunion, Kristy had burst into tears as soon as she'd announced to our other BSC friends that she was pregnant. That was a real surprise, because we've almost never seen her cry.

Later that evening, everyone came home from the rehearsal dinner, and Karen drove Kristy and Jason back to the Thomas-Brewer mansion. Shortly after that, we went to bed, because we knew we'd have to get up early the next morning.

Tomorrow is going to be magical.

The next day, we were up by 8:00, and the ceremony didn't start until 11:00. Vanessa and I fixed first Margo and Claire's hair, then each other's. It reminded me a little of when Dad lost his job, and Vanessa tried to make money by calling herself "Miss Vanessa" and styling kids' hair on the playground. Bebe had asked Karen, who had just started at a beauty college in Stamford, to be the maid of honor (by the way, she's a million times better than Gloriana), and all three of my sisters were going to be bridesmaids. Byron had asked all three of his brothers to be ushers and groomsmen. I thought that was very nice, considering the fact that when Nick was eight and the triplets were ten, they didn't want to have anything to do with him. Byron had also asked Jeff, who was in ventriloquism school and studying to be a youth pastor in San Francisco, to be the best man. On the upside, none of my brothers were playing a guitar and singing "Tom Dooley" or "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" because they didn't get chosen to the be the best man. Bebe and Byron had decided not to have a ring bearer or flower girl, which I decided was all right.

We had sent invitations to all of the BSC members, but the only ones who were able to come were Kristy, Stacey, Dawn, and I, mostly because we had family members in the wedding party. Claudia couldn't come, because of the art show; Mary Anne and Logan couldn't, because not only were they entertaining Logan's cousin, Lewis, but even though Mary Anne wasn't quite in her third trimester, she didn't want to take any chances; Abby couldn't, because she was visiting relatives on Long Island; Jessi couldn't, because she was busy with _The Nutcracker. _When I chatted online with her last month, she said that just as she'd hoped, she and Manette got the parts of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier; and Shannon couldn't, because she and Bart were still settling into married life.

We arrived at the church at 9:30, and were met by Kristy, Jason, and Karen. Kristy looked great, despite her condition. I'd even let her borrow one of my maternity dresses for the occasion. I thought it was nice to see her in something besides a turtleneck and jeans.

We took our seats about half an hour later. Ben, the twins, and I sat in the back row on the groom's side, so we'd have easy access to the nursery, just in case. I held our daughter, Andrea, and Ben held our son, Justin.

"I sure hope Byron doesn't decide to go sky-diving today," I whispered to Ben.

Ben laughed. "You think he would?" he asked.

"I doubt it," I answered.

Before too long, the ceremony got underway. Bebe looked beautiful as she came down the aisle with Steve. She was wearing a white long-sleeved dress with no train, which she'd borrowed from her stepmother Diann, as well as a new sapphire necklace that looked like the "Heart of the Ocean" from _Titanic. _She'd gotten on her SHS graduation trip to the _Titanic _museum in Branson, but had never worn it until now. I'm also told that Diann had worn that dress when she'd married Steve.

_In a way, I'm just glad Mary Anne isn't here, _I thought. _I know for sure that she'd be bawling. _And speaking of which, Bebe was trying her hardest not to, even though I saw a tear rolling down Steve's face. Diann and Mom, on the other hand, were a puddle of tears even before Bebe came down the aisle.

When Rev. Downey pronounced them husband and wife, they kissed, and we applauded. Then he introduced them as "Mr. and Mrs. Byron Pike."

I thought the ceremony was just wonderful.

At the reception, which was held at the Community Center, Jason again told us the story of his mom and Steve's wedding. I'm really glad that Bebe and Byron's wedding didn't turn out that way.

Later, they did the bouquet and garter toss. Karen caught the bouquet this time, even though it landed at her feet at Shannon and Bart's wedding. I'm also glad that we were spared from watching her and Tiffany Kilbourne tussle over it. And yes, Jeff caught the garter.

All in all, this was the best day ever.


	25. Chapter 24: Kristy

**CHAPTER 24: Kristy**

It was now December 23rd. Jason and I were sitting in the living room, watching _It's A Wonderful Life _on the DVD player. The movie was already up to the part where George Bailey got his second chance, and he's running through the streets of Bedford Falls, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I still remember when Andrew tried that, and he looked so cute, up until he slipped on a patch of ice and busted his tailbone. I can still hear the hollow thud of that kid's behind hitting the ice, and it still makes me shudder to this day. Not even Ashlee Simpson's performance at the Orange Bowl could've compared to that.

Anyway, I got up to go to the bathroom, and Jason pressed the stop button.

"I'll only be a minute," I told him.

"I know," he smiled. "I just didn't want you to miss anything."

When I got to the bathroom, I saw a trickle of blood and water on the bathroom floor. Right away, I knew what was happening. "JASON!" I shouted.

He came running into the bathroom. "It's time?" he asked.

"No, I spilled ketchup on the floor," I said sarcastically. "What do you think?"

"Okay, just calm down," he said, starting to calm down himself. "I'll get the bag, and we'll go to the hospital."

I followed him out the door. During the ride to the hospital, Jason called our parents and the doctor on his cell phone. As we rounded the corner to enter the parking lot, the Beach Boys' version of "Little St. Nick" was playing on the radio and we were singing along. Speaking of that song, I dodn't know which version I like better, that one, or the one by John Denver and the Muppets.

When we found a space and pulled into it, I felt the first contraction. "I can't move," I told Jason.

"What do you want me to do, love?" Jason asked. "Bring the doctor out here and deliver the baby in the parking lot?"

I laughed a little, then said, "It's not funny, Jason."

"All right," he said. He grunted and groaned as he lifted me out of the truck.

In fact, when he set me down, I started slapping him and yelling, "YOU STUPID JERK! MY KID'LL PROBABLY BE BRAIN-DAMAGED BECAUSE OF YOU!" Then I groaned, pretending that a contraction had seized me. (By the way, Jason was not driving like a maniac. In fact, he's one of the most careful drivers I've seen. That's another reason why I fell in love with him.)

I could tell that Jason was laughing, but he was still a little surprised, especially on the way inside when I was swatting him away and yelling, "Don't touch me, just don't touch me! I'll just go have this baby without you touching me!"

I was also pretty sure that Jason was looking at people as if to say, "I've never seen this woman before in my life."

As soon as we'd checked in, the nurses took me to the labor and delivery room. Jason followed with our bag. The nurses helped me change clothes. Then, with Jason's help, I climbed into the bed. It was a little hard, because I was in the middle of a contraction, but Jason rubbed my back and held my hand until it passed.

As the next contraction seized me about ten minutes later, Jason rubbed my knuckles and spoke to me in a low, soothing voice, obviously talking me through it. I assumed he'd learned it from Bebe's Uncle Brent, who's married to her Aunt Amanda, and also happens to be a hypnotherapist. I laid my head back against the pillow.

About three hours later, it was midnight, which meant that it was Christmas Eve. I hoped the baby would come soon. I didn't mind what day it was, though.

When another contraction seized me about five minutes later, and seven minutes after the last one, I grabbed Jason's hand and squeezed it really hard. I didn't give a rat's ass if I was breaking it. I was just in so much pain.

Around seven in the morning, Dr. Wright came in. After he examined me, he said, "Well, Mrs. Everett, time to start pushing."

I groaned and laid my head back against the pillow. Jason turned my face toward his and said, "You can do this. I know you can. You're a strong person."

Jason briefly left the room, and when he returned, he was wearing the same surgical garb as the doctor. "Ready?" he asked.

"I-I think so," I stammered.

"Okay," Dr. Wright said. "On the next contraction, I want you to take a deep breath and hold it for a count of ten, okay?"

I nodded as I shifted my position on the bed.

"Take a deep breath—now," he said.

I took a deep breath, and held it while Jason and the doctor counted to ten, then let it out. "Very good," the doctor said. "Oh, shit."

"What?" Jason asked.

"The baby turned on us. We may have to manipulate it back into a proper position or do a C-section."

"Try to manipulate it back into a proper position," Jason told the doctor. "I think Kristy's scared to have a C-section after what happened to her friend, Mallory."

"I am not!" I snapped defiantly. Then I did something that surprised everyone, especially me: I grabbed Jason by the nuts and twisted as hard as I could.

"Ow!" he cried. "Okay, okay!"

About five minutes later, Dr. Wright said, "That was a good first try. Now, this time, I want you to use your muscles and push down while we count, so we can get this baby out, okay?"

When the next contraction came, I did just as they asked. "The baby's making nice progress," Dr. Wright said. "In fact, I see the head starting to emerge."

Jason looked down. "Here it comes," he said.

Within minutes or straining, pushing, and screaming, "GODDAMN IT, GET IT OUT OF ME, YOU QUACK!" at the doctor, the baby came out, and we heard the first cry.

"It's a boy!" the doctor announced. "You have a little boy, born at 7:44 a.m."

I fell back against the pillow, let out a huge breath, and sobbed my heart out. Jason and I were just over the moon, having brought this whole new life into the world. Through my tears, I looked at the doctor and managed to gasp out, "If you even _think _about singing 'It's a boy, Mrs. Everett, it's a boy', you'll be in traction in one second flat!"

Jason gave me a kiss on the lips. "I'm so proud of you," he said, "for giving me a son."

"What should we call him?" I asked. We looked over our list of names.

"Daniel," Jason suggested. "That way, I can sing that Elton John song to him, but I promise not to drive him crazy by constantly singing it."

"Daniel, I like it," I said. "Daniel James Everett, but we'll call him D.J., for short."

The nurse nodded and filled out the birth certificate.

I was hoping they wouldn't start singing that _"A son, a son, a SOOOON!" _bit from _Tommy, _because if they had, I would've found some way to give Jason a scar on his other cheekbone.

Jason and the doctor bent over little Daniel. "You want to cut the cord?" the doctor asked.

"Sure," Jason said. The doctor showed him what to do. Jason cut the cord, then a nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed him to me.

The baby started crying. "Shh," I whispered, jiggling it a little, and trying to control my own emotions. Jason stood beside me and kissed my cheek, then leaned over and kissed little Danny's forehead.

We just couldn't believe our own little Christmas miracle.


	26. Epilogue: Mary Anne

A/N: This is the last chapter.

**EPILOGUE: Mary Anne**

It was now mid-February. We were sorry to miss Jessi and Manette's wedding, but it was just something that was beyond our control. The doctor told us that at this certain stage of my pregnancy, traveling was not advisable. In fact, about two and a half months earlier, we had to turn down the invitation to Bebe and Byron's wedding.

On the upside, we got to see each other for New Year's. You see, Kristy came home from the hospital with baby Daniel two days after Christmas. She said that on the evening of Christmas Eve, Jason went home to freshen up, then brought their gifts to the hospital, and they had their gift exchange that night. Some of us BSC members, namely those who lived in Connecticut and New York, had a New Year's Eve get-together at Kristy and Jason's house. The only ones who weren't there were Claud, Mal, Dawn, Logan, and I. So, just like the BSC reunion over the summer, we were able to use our WebCams to see how much each other's babies had grown.

The twins, who were the spitting image of Mal, were now crawling. Daniel looked like both Jason and Kristy, right down to the green eyes; and little Sven, who was actually the oldest of the babies—while looking like neither Sam nor Stacey, because he was adopted—could make even the most cold-hearted person melt. And even little Tina, Dawn and Sunny's foster child, was an absolute doll. She even showed me a picture that she'd done in kindergarten, and I must say that she's become a girl after Claud's own heart. It was great to see everybody, and we even got to watch the ball come down in Times Square. It reminded me of Stacey's story of being there with her mom when we were freshmen in high school.

All in all, a great holiday.

It was dawn on the day before Valentine's Day. I was waking up to make sure I had Logan's gift ready to set out, when all of a sudden, I felt something wet on the sheet under me. _Did my water just break, or did I wet the bed? _I thought. "Logan?" I whispered.

"Hmm?" he answered, rolling over.

"Logan, it's time."

"It is? Let's get to the hospital right away," he said, jumping out of bed.

We got dressed, and about twenty minutes later, we were on our way to the hospital. During the ride, Logan called the school superintendent to ask for a substitute, and then our parents and the doctor on his cell phone. I was lost in my own thoughts during the ride, thinking about the BSC babies, which is what I call the children of the BSC members.

Anyway, Mallory's twins were now about eight months old, and last week, I got an e-mail from her, saying that they were now teething. According to her and Ben, Mallory had to have a C-section, passed out from blood loss, and didn't regain consciousness for almost 24 hours.

Like I said, Kristy actually had her baby on Christmas Eve. When I talked to her on New Year's Eve, she said that after she gave the first push, the baby turned breech. She had the option of either a C-section or manipulating the baby back into a proper position. When Jason teased her about not wanting a C-section after what happened to Mal, Kristy really let him have it!

As we rounded the corner, I was glad that Logan wasn't driving like a maniac, and I'm even happier to say that he didn't do 104 from the garage to the front door. (At least we own a Jeep, not a Ferrari.) If he had, I would've either made him pull over and let me drive, or even hitched a ride.

A nurse met us with a wheelchair at the hospital entrance. Logan and the nurse helped me out of the Jeep, and the nurse settled me in the wheelchair. When we got inside, Logan signed me in as Dr. Simmons came down the hall. "Hi, Mary Anne," she said.

"Hi," I answered.

"Your labor and delivery room is all ready for you."

"Good. I'll be glad when this is over."

When we got to the room, and Logan and the nurse helped me to my feet, I felt the first of many contractions. Logan rubbed my back until it had passed. After I changed my clothes, Logan and the nurse helped me into bed.

Around noon, when the contractions were starting to become seven minutes apart, I actually shouted at the nurse, "I WANT F— DRUGS NOW, BITCH!"

Logan and the nurse jumped back in alarm. I was pretty surprised as well, and I was also thanking my lucky stars that Dad wasn't there. I also think my voice was an octave or two deeper than it usually is. Now that I think about it, I may have actually sounded like Linda Blair in her _Exorcist _days, even though someone else obviously did the voice of the demon. (I'm also surprised Logan didn't say, "Whoa, you'd better calm down or we'll have to get the exorcist." Sharon once told me that when she was in labor with Dawn, she actually said the "F— MY BREATHING!" bit from _Look Who's Talking.)_

"Okay, okay," the nurse said, very slowly backing away. I guess I'd really scared the daylights out of her. "Let me get the doctor."

A few minutes later, the doctor returned. "How about an epidural, Mary Anne?" she suggested.

"Sure. Anything," I said. "Just give me _something."_

Dr. Simmons called the anesthesiologist, Dr. Perry, into the room. While Dr. Perry was giving me the epidural, I felt another contraction, so I head-butted Logan in the stomach.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "I know this isn't fun, honey, but don't take it out on me!"

When he said that, I felt myself turn red as a beet. "Sorry," I whispered sheepishly. "It was just the epidural and that contraction."

"I know, sweetie," Logan said, petting my hair, as Dr. Perry finished. "Just don't fall apart on me, okay?"

"I won't," I said.

Around six that evening, the doctor came in, examined me, and said, "Well, Mary Anne, time to start pushing."

"I think I'm ready," I stammered. Then, turning to Logan, I whispered, "Well, I guess it's now or never."

After almost an hour of pushing and getting nowhere, the doctor said, "Well, the cord seems to be wrapped around the baby's neck, so I'm afraid a C-section is our only option."

"Oh, God," I moaned, falling back against the pillow.

"I'll try not to pass out when the baby is delivered," Logan promised.

"Okay," I said, somehow managing to laugh.

Twenty minutes later, I was lying on my back on the operating table. Logan sat by my head and stroked my hair and face. At least the doctor had the presence of mind to put some drapes around me so Logan couldn't see the baby being born.

About twenty minutes after that, we heard a baby's cry. "It's a girl!" the doctor announced as she cut the cord from around the baby's neck. "Born at 19:39."

Upon hearing that, I burst into tears. This was the best news I'd ever heard in my life. "Can I see her for a minute?" I asked through my tears.

"Sure," the nurse said. She wrapped the baby in a blanket, and held her so that we were face-to-face with each other. The baby was beautiful. She had dark hair, like me, and Logan's eyes. I had a feeling that she'd be a younger version of me as she grew up. If something happened to either me or Logan, and one of us was left to raise her alone, we have no intention of going overboard in raising her, so she has nothing to worry about.

"Hi, baby," I said. "We'll call you Mimi Josephine Bruno, after Claudia's grandma."

"Mimi Josephine Bruno, after Claudia's grandma," the nurse repeated, writing it down on the birth certificate. Logan and I looked at her with expressions that said, _Huh? _Then the nurse smiled and said, "Don't worry, I just wrote her name down." Logan and I sighed with relief. Then the nurse took little Mimi to the nursery as I was taken to the recovery room.

I just knew that little Mimi's namesake was up in heaven looking out for her. And so began a whole new generation of the Baby-sitters Club.

**THE END**


End file.
